Post Mortem
by iRocka
Summary: Sequel to UF: "We lose people the same way we lose ourselves in love. Someone picks you up and puts you back together, but sometimes you just want to be lost again." she said to him.
1. With Me

**Chapter One:  
****With Me  
****Sum 41**

March 30, 2009.  
Randy's Hummer H2.  
9:26 PM.

The only sound made inside the Legend Killer's prized possession was Sum 41's With Me. It had been a continuous playlist of four songs on his iPod. They had been on repeat since he started this drive from Indianapolis to St. Louis.

Randy's iPod  
Playlist: **Riz  
**_With Me – Sum 41  
__Here Without You – 3 Doors Down  
__How Do I Breathe - Mario  
__Wherever You Will Go – The Calling_

As he had one hand on the steering wheel and another on the gear shift, he looked at the road in front of him. The long stretch of road was almost clear except for those late night drivers. Their taillights looked like little stars to Randy's eyes and he could make out some sort of horizon up ahead. He was about an hour away from home and longed for nothing more than to be able to lie down on his soft bed and drift off to sleep.

_In front of your eyes, it falls from the skies.  
__When you just never know what you will find._

Sleep. That reminded so much of what had been happening to him for the past couple of months. It was four dreams on constant replay in his head. If it weren't those dreams, it'd be an all-black night. As he sat there in the driver's seat, he looked up to the stretch of midnight blue sky dotted with stars and flashed back to his subconscious…

oxo

_It was dark, the only source of light being the round cheese-looking full moon that rested on a cloudless sky. Its light shone upon a house made of wood resting atop a small hill with pine trees slightly covering the structure. The light on the patio was on and the swing built for two there was swinging with the soft breeze._

_The two lone inhabitants were out on the dock admiring the placidness of the lake. He had his arms around her waist with her back lying softly against his chest as they slowly swayed along with the wind. He thought she was nothing less than beautiful. With her sweet innocent smile and milk-chocolate Hershey Kiss eyes, she stood there with him, admiring the calm waters._

"_How…" he whispered softly, as though nervous but as sweet as caramel. "…How could I have been so lucky that I ended up with a woman like you?"_

_She, not bothering to look at him, replied, "It's not luck, Randy. It's love."_

oxo

_They were snuggling in bed as they were controlled by Somnus' charm. The night was quiet and the soft cool wind coming in from the open balcony doors gave that sense of comfort to the two. It was peaceful, relaxing, as though three in the afternoon couldn't have gotten any better than it was at that precise moment._

_Then, she opened her eyes and shifted a bit in his arms. That, in turn woke him up a bit, but not enough to fully get him to open his eyes. "Randy…" she called out to him, as if checking if he were really still there beside her._

"_Mmm?" came his monotonous reply._

"_Tell me… do you believe in dreams come true?" she asked, her voice clear of any hindrance or shame._

"_Yes." His reply._

"_Why?" this time, her voice seemed to fill with unheard questionable emotions._

_All he could do was pull her closer to him so that her back fully pressed against his bare chest and tighten his arms around her waist. With his eyes still closed, he planted a gentle kiss on the expanse of shoulder skin left bare by her top and whispered, "… 'Cause you're right here lying next to me…"_

oxo

_Wrestlemania XXIV had just ended with Randy capturing the World Heavyweight Championship from Batista. He walked back up the ramp in Toronto's sports arena and relished the fact that he was back on top. He went past the black curtain that shielded the crowd from the busy world backstage and faced the encoring applause of crewmembers, fellow superstars and other people present backstage. With a genuine smile on his face, he walked a few steps, not expecting what was about to happen._

_She came running to him and jumped into his arms, causing him to drop his newly earned title and just wrap his arms around her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as her lips found themselves connected to his. The crowd around them could either only aaw, sigh or clap at the two._

_As if no one were around them, they pulled apart and stared into each other's eyes with big smiles on their faces. "Congratulations, my Legend Killer…" she said softly so that only he could hear her words._

oxo

_He picked her up by her waist and spun her around in the air as they both laughed at their childish actions. The snowy white façade outside their house was enough of a vision to know that it had snowed a couple of moments prior. It was a quiet Saturday morning with people still asleep in their little beds. But these two were relishing every single moment of a new beginning._

_He placed her down on her two feet but she lost balance from her extended laughter and fell down on her back as she pulled him down along with her. He ended up falling on top of her, their faces only mere centimeters apart. A myriad of dreams recollected in his mind as he looked into her eyes and fell in love with her all over again._

_He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and caressed the side of her face with his half-shivering hand. He looked lovingly at her and whispered, a puff of smoke coming out of his mouth, "Do you want to know why I'm so happy?"_

_She shook her head and left him to speak. She knew she didn't have to utter another word as he pecked her lips and played with the heart pendant necklace around her neck._

"_I'm happy because I can finally run down the street looking like a pure idiot and scream to the world that you are my wife."_

oxo

With those memories fresh in his mind, Randy held his glare at the myriad of stars up in the sky. It wasn't fair. There were already a million stars up there in the sky. Why did they have to take away HIS star? It wasn't right. Just when things were going right, just when they were about to be perfect, destiny decided to turn its back on him and take her away. It wasn't fair.

_Through it all, I've made my mistakes. I stumble and fall.  
__But, I mean these words…_

He shifted his eyes to the passenger side where the cold gold of the World Heavyweight Championship title belt glimmered underneath the pale moonlight. He remembered one time when he had won the championship, he had to give it up because she got sick. The next time, it had been… her last day conscious.

_I want you to know, with everything, I won't let this go._

Just when he was almost lost in his own mind, his phone rang to the tune of The Time Is Now by John Cena. Answering the call with an almost enthusiastic hello, he was responded to by the low rumble of his best friend, John Cena's, voice.

"Hey, dude. You just missed the exit. I'm right here behind you, remember?" John said with a slight chuckle.

"I—I—I did?" Randy stuttered out in disbelief. He had been so preoccupied with that sky full of stars that he failed to notice the exit that he had passed.

John chuckled some more. "Retard, what the hell is wrong with you? C'mon, the next exit's a couple of kilometers away. We can take that one and reroute to head to St. Louis…"

"Oh. Alright. Well, sorry about that, Pig. Guess my mind flew away." Randy chuckled back.

"A'ight. A'ight. Hey, Retard…" John said.

"Yeah?"

"You thinking 'bout her again, aren't you?"

Randy gulped silently and said, "Yeah. It's her again."

"Man, I know it's rough. But it's been more than a year. And I'm sure she ain't happy always seein' you cry."

"Yeah. I got that. I wasn't crying. I was just thinking."

"Uh-huh. And I'm the Pink Fairy." John replied sarcastically. Sometimes, Randy's pride and egotistic attitude really got in the way of his emotions and sincerity. He could say he was happy, just preoccupied, just had to wash his face or something. But deep down, John knew his best friend still wasn't over her.

_Thoughts read unspoken, forever in doubt.  
__Pieces of memories fall to the ground._

"Ooh. I do love your Pixie Dust." Randy retaliated in a faux sarcastic English accent.

John laughed out loud. "Dude! You just sounded so gay! Trust me, it does not suit you!"

"You made me do it, you fat ass pig. Go on. Focus on driving. I swear, one day, that idiotic laugh of yours is going to get you going off-road." Randy joked.

"What? You're the fuckin' retard here, Retard." John shot back.

After a few moments of silence, both of them burst out laughing. "Same old, eh?" Randy asked.

"Yeah. And I am gonna get to the hotel first." John said as he slowly advanced his own Hummer beside Randy's. He looked out the window and smirked.

"Oh, are you willing to bet on that?" Randy looked outside his window and returned the smirk.

John cocked an eyebrow. "Hell yeah. Last one to the hotel buys the pizza and drinks for the night!" John said as he hung up and sped up in front of Randy.

"No fa-" But it was too late to say anything else since John had put down the phone. After muttering some choice colorful words, Randy zoomed to catch up with his best friend. It was like this every time they'd convoy to another state. They'd always race to the finish line. Sometimes it got them tickets from the police, but they didn't really care. They just had lots of fun being little boys with grown men's resources.

Randy gripped the steering wheel as though it were his life and remembered the one time SHE had caught them playing and horsing around on the road. She was in his car with him. Unfortunately, though she was an adventure-seeker and troublemaker like they were, the two were going beyond road rage.

_I am nothing without with you._

She had slapped Randy upside the head and gave him a slight lecture to boot. Boy, did John get something worse. Since 'he was older and all', she said he should have been more responsible.

Although, in the end, they still raced to the next state after a little stopover. They were still crazy kids trapped in adult bodies.

That moment, Randy didn't know if he was going to smile or going to cry. As he stepped on the pedal and zoomed ahead of John, all he could think was:

_"It's only an unforgettable important moment because you were there."_

_I don't want this moment to ever end,  
where everything's nothing without you._

_

* * *

_

**The sequel is now posted, as promised.  
I highly suggest, though, that you read to previous installment: Unintentional Fairytale.  
The BEST, but not the only, way to read this story and feel everything is to see it like a movie, only with words. Play the blockbuster in your head, it's sure to amuse you to no end. It's what I did when I was writing.**

**Every chapter is a song-based oneshot. The songs I used, even the superstars, movies and brands mentioned, are not mine.  
But the story plot, name and gimmick are mine. You plagiarize them, I kill you. Respect.**

**Your reviews are immensely appreciated. Review replies will be posted.**

**-_veracruzortongal_**


	2. Miserable At Best

**Chapter Two:  
****Miserable At Best  
****Mayday Parade**

March 31, 2009.  
Magazine Section, Wal-Mart.  
3:31 PM.

It was the beginning of a 5-day supposedly no-WWE work vacation for the stars; and yet, Randy had been sitting on this horrid plastic chair for the past one and a half hours and it was clearly beginning to hurt his backside. But nothing would stop him, a fans' superstar, from giving off a megawatt smile and an autograph to the next fifteen-year old girl who'd squeal 'OMG, Randy Orton!'

Truth be told, the man would rather be back at the hotel gym pumping some iron instead of sitting there with a dying out pen still signing a multitude of pictures, jackets and, oddly enough, body parts.

It wasn't that he didn't want to be with his fans. It was just that he was still hung over from partying with pizza and beer with John, and the mere fact that his lone 3 hours of sleep was practically invaded by images of Riz.

"How many more fans to go, Kiara?" he asked his personal assistant as he sipped his water.

"You've got… two teenage girls, a little boy and a teacher with her whole class with her." Kiara replied, counting the number of people still left standing behind the barriers.

Randy's eyes widened. "Her whole class?" he whispered.

"They're little kids, Mr. Orton. I think you'll be alright." Kiara smiled.

He sighed. "Bring it on!"

The two teenage girls, as usual, asked for his autograph on some random picture they printed out. The little boy, on the other hand, reminded Randy of himself when he was young: a bit troublesome, somewhat naïve, pure adorable and already a looker for the ladies who were mature enough to stop believing in the male cootie theory.

After a couple of pictures and a high-five with the kid, Randy moved on to his last task for today's signing: the class of midgets. The first one that came up to him was a little girl with her hair up in those high pigtails and her thumb in her mouth. She had the most adorable baby blue eyes and she seemed more of the shy type.

"Hey there, little girl. What's your name?" Randy asked.

She took her thumb out of her mouth for a while and said, "Hannah." before placing it back in.

"Hi there, Hannah. My name's Randy. Would you like to come here and sit on my lap?" he asked and smiled at the little girl.

Hannah went under the table and popped up in front of Randy. He chuckled at her little act and placed her on his lap. He asked, "So, where's your teacher, Hannah?"

"Ms. Aaaaar-seeeeeee!" she screamed over the multitude of kids that were swarming the area. Well, just about fifteen.

From within those fifteen kids, a young woman stood up, obviously from crouching down and attending to one of the kids, and needless to say, she caught Randy's eye. The near anorexic thin woman: sporting casual jeans, chucks and a tee, standing five-foot-four, with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes, walked towards Randy while carrying a three-year old boy.

"Hey!" she said enthusiastically, extending her hand out for a shake. "I'm RC, their teacher. Today's their field trip and most of them watch wrestling, so I brought them here. Tyler over here, however, got a little teary because he's tired."

Randy chuckled, shaking her hand. "Well, as you know, I'm Randy Orton. And I think while you were calming Tyler down, this little tyke walked over to me!" he said, bouncing a giggling Hannah on his lap.

RC laughed. "She may look shy, but she's got the confidence of a twenty-five year old."

"I see that! Now, where are the other kids?" he asked.

"Here! They're fifteen. Plus Hannah, so that makes them sixteen. Here's, as you know, Tyler. And, in order, are: Samantha, Jessica, Franco, Lucas, Gabriel, Ted, Kylie, Isabella, Max, Carl, Zack, Feliciano and Randall." She said as she pointed to each one of the kids surrounding her.

"The name is Randy, Ms. RC! Not Randall." Young Randy said as he snorted a bit.

Randy laughed at the familiarity of the attitude. He himself carried that hate for being called 'Randall'. "Well, boys and girls, who wants an autograph from me, huh?" he asked.

All sixteen kids got a piece of paper or a picture for him to sign. Of course, young princess Hannah and mini-Randy got special dedications for capturing Randy's heart. After all the papers have been signed, the kids took their place beside Randy for a special picture taken by RC.

"Ok, one… two… three… SMILE!" she said as she clicked away on the digital camera.

"Well, we'd best be heading off now so you can also get some rest, Mr. Orton." RC said happily. "Ok, kids, time to get into the bus! Let's go!"

"Bye, Mr. Orton!" they all waved and smiled. Randy waved back.

All the kids formed a straight line like all good little boys and girls did, and with the help of the bus driver, they filed into the bus one by one. Once RC was able to make sure that all the kids were present, she nodded to herself and got ready to board the bus. Midway through climbing the stairs, she heard her name being called out, "RC!"

She spun around to see Randy running over to her. "Hey! What's up?" she asked, noticing his pace.

"Here." He handed her a folded piece of paper before turning his back and running back inside Wal-Mart before the fans and sports-paparazzi saw him outside without security.

RC took the paper and eyed it cautiously before shoving it into her pocket, turning back into the bus and walking inside. The bus door closed with a hiss and soon, the bus was on its way back to the school. All of the kids dozed off on the way back which was good for RC. She didn't have to deal with motion sickness and boredom from them.

As she sat up front the bus, just behind the bus driver, she dug into her pocket and fished out the note Randy had given her. She opened up the half-folded sheet and read what was scribbled on it.

_Thanks for bringing these kids. Hope maybe one day, I can go visit you guys. Call me when I can come over. Thank you so much. And you, stay beautiful._

_Randy (not Mr. Orton)_

She smiled at the note and found Randy's number squiggled at the bottom of the paper. Immediately, she saved the number in her phone before dozing off in the bus herself.

Meanwhile, back with Randy who was now already in his hotel room, he found himself rather distracted since his thoughts were keeping him occupied. He was sitting there on the couch with some random rock music video playing on the tube and he was thinking about that autograph signing he'd just done.

_Where have I seen her before?_ He asked himself warily. Her face was familiar; even the way she moved and spoke. It was all too familiar, but he couldn't connect her with any of his recent events and signings.

_Maybe at some bar. But wait, she's too sweet to be in a bar. Maybe in another signing here. No, it's not that!_ He thought and thought some more, until at some point, he found himself getting a migraine.

Luckily, John had perfect timing and decided to ring Randy up. The Time Is Now rang from his phone and he was taken out of his little rendezvous with headaches. "Hey, what's up, man?" Randy answered his phone in the soberest way he could.

"Yo, dude, I've got something to tell you. And no, before you say anything, I can't do it over the phone. If it'll help with reasoning, it's about Riz. A'right? Now, meet me downstairs in the lounge at exactly nine o'clock. You've got one and a half hours to prep yourself. So, yeah. There. I'm out!"

John talked so fast and didn't allow Randy to interject before he put down the phone and Randy was left with no choice but to go down later on. He was wondering what the hell was John going to tell him about Riz. He did, after all, know almost everything about her already.

Then it hit him.

Awhile ago, during the signing, during the kids' time with him, he realized he hadn't though of Riz. During the whole fifteen to twenty minutes that he was there and signing stuff for them, he never once had Riz pass through his mind. That made all the difference to him. There was something about that time…

_The hardest part of living is just taking breath to say.  
I know I'm good for something. I just haven't found it yet._

Shaking off all those thoughts, he decided he needed to cool himself down since he'd been thinking a tad bit too much for his taste. He stood up and walked to his bathroom, undressed and hopped into a very cold shower.

Sierra Lounge, Second Floor.  
8:56 PM.

Randy trotted down from his hotel room to meet John in the lounge. There were minimal people in the lounge since most of them were out to dinner in the swanky restaurant on the third floor; so, it was easy to find John sitting on one of the black leather couches.

"What's up, Jay?" Randy asked as he plopped down in front of John.

"So, you showed up." John said as he placed down his glass of Zombie.

"Yeah. I was thinking of standing you up, but now that I see you're actually drinking a Four Seasons and alcohol combo, I can conclude that you're serious." Randy said. "Either that or you're simply turning gay on me."

John smirked and rolled his eyes. "I see you didn't forget your whacked humor. I'm serious here, man. I've got something you'd really be interested in…"

"Dude, if it's another lecture about how I should let her go, I swear, I'm going to shove that glass so far up your a-"

"Chill, Randy, chill for a while. It ain't about letting go. Swear on my favorite jersey." John said in attempt to calm down the man.

"Fine. Then what is it about?" the younger superstar asked.

"This has been with me for a while now, but I just never really gave it up. Riz's parents met up with me about a month ago and they wanted me to give you this…" John said as he handed Randy a box.

Randy took and opened it and saw the gift he gave Riz a year back. It was the white skates he had had customized for her.

_I got to the point that I should leave you alone.  
__But we both know that I'm not that strong._

"I'm sorry for not giving it early enough, or on the day that they gave it to me, but I just thought that you weren't ready to see those just yet. Now, I'm just thinking you need them, Randy. She would've wanted those in your hands anyways…"

Randy felt the emotions start bubbling up in his stomach as though he were ready to barf any second. "John, I--… I don't know, okay? Maybe you should keep them… I mean… After all, you are her best friend." Randy said.

John shook his head. "No. I may be her best friend, but, dude, she loved you. She loves you. You love her. You gave that to her. It's only right you keep them…" said John.

"Why can't I let her go, John? Why? Just because I---"

'_Cause I never got to say how you always made me feel like a star  
__How you made me special even when we were at war  
__I never got to say how much I really loved you despite all the hurt and pain we've been through  
__I never let it out, never dared to try. I was never invincible, I was never bulletproof  
__I was never all that strong just realizing  
__That I never got to say I love you._

Randy turned his attention to the lounge singer. _Damn it, it's that song again…_ he thought; and silently he cursed at whoever was singing the song. He saw her and noticed immediately that she was the teacher he met earlier. _What is she doing here singing that song?_

"Randy, I---" John tried to interject upon hearing the song Riz had last sung for Randy and seeing his expressions.

"Just stop, John. Just stop." Randy said. "I can't take this anymore."

He stood up from where he sat, took the box along with him and ran as fast as he could to the elevators. He just ran. He didn't look back. As far as he could tell, he couldn't hold on to his self-control anymore. He needed her back.

_Because these words were never easier for me to say.  
I could live without you but without you I'd be miserable at best._

As he ran towards his room, he knew that there was no sense in running away from something you have to face. But right now, all he could tell himself was:

_I'm not strong enough for this. No, Riz. I admit that I'm not. I fucking need you._

_

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_

**Two reviews? We're running a little slow here, huh?  
Please do read and review! I'm a writer. I live off feedback.**

**-_veracruzortongal_**


	3. Tonight I Wanna Cry

**Chapter Three:  
****Tonight I Wanna Cry  
****Keith Urban**

April 1, 2009.  
Hyperfusion Bar.  
St. Louis, Missouri.  
8:34 PM.

This was the night of Randy Orton's 29th. Surrounding him were his friends and family, the ones who had reserved this top bar in all of Missouri for his surprise birthday party. Lighting all the twenty-nine candles on the round white birthday cake that had 'Happy Birthday, Retard' icing-drawn on it, they all sang him a joyous happy birthday song. That was two hours ago.

Now, the disco lights gave the white tablecloths a certain glow of blue, red, yellow or green and the dance floor was cramped with people having so much fun dancing to the rhythm of Li'l Mama's Lip Gloss. Drinks were free-flowing but no one was allowed to get drunk because there were kids in the house. Randy's nephews ran around the place with their toy robots and his nieces sat in one corner playing Barbie. Everyone was preoccupied. Now, the question was…

Why was the birthday boy sitting all alone at a big round table, a bottle of beer in one hand and a mind off somewhere else?

"Hey, Randy…" the melodic voice of Trish Stratus rang and took Randy out of his reverie. He shifted his gaze to the woman who was carrying her 2-year old hazel-eyed carbon copy on her hip.

"Oh, hey, Trisha…" he said with a smile as he placed his beer bottle down and stood up. "Hillary! How's my favorite little diva?"

The little girl giggled, her wavy brunette locks bouncing at the sides of her face. "I'm a-okay, Unca 'andy. 'appy birthday!" Hillary said as she tore away from her mom's arms and hugged her uncle around the neck for a tight happy birthday hug.

He wrapped his arms around the little girl's waist and hugged her back. "Aaw… Thanks, baby girl." he said as he kissed her cheek and smiled back at her toothy smile.

"I wub you, Unca 'andy…" she said with a slight lisp from her newly-grown teeth.

He gently ran a hand through her locks and smiled as though they were two of the most innocent people on earth. He gave her a soft Eskimo kiss and replied with, "I love you, too, Ri-ri."

The little girl giggled and situated herself on Randy's hip. She looked at her mommy and asked in her high-pitched kiddie voice, "Momma, momma, Unca 'andy's gonna take me to musical, right?"

Trish nodded and smiled at the two. She looked at Randy and asked, "So, Randy, you still up for bringing Hillary to the Lyrics musical tomorrow night? If you can't, I'm sure John would lo—"

"Of course I'm going to take my baby girl. I promised her months ago that I would take her… And what does Uncle Randy always say?" he asked the little girl on his hip.

"…that when Unca p'omises, he don' break it!" the little girl said with obvious pride at her dear uncle's words. The two adults laughed in chorus at the little girl and shook their heads at her mimicry of her uncle.

"Alright, I'll have Hillary ready by six so you can pick her up at the hotel." Trish said with an obvious smile on her face.

Randy nodded and returned the smile. Hillary suddenly started bouncing up and down on Randy's hip and said, "Momma! I wanna give Unca 'andy the birthday present I made for 'im!"

Trish took something from the Louis Vuitton tote she was sporting and handed it to her daughter. It was a brown scrapbook with little cutouts on the front. It wasn't the most artistic thing in the world, but considering that it was done by a two-year old, it was a pretty good job on her part. "Here!" she said to her uncle as she handed him her little homemade present.

He handed the little girl over to her mom who sat down on a chair and sat down on his own. He took the present from the little girl and smiled as he gently undid the white ribbon that held it closed. He flipped onto the first page and suddenly, the back of his eyes began to well with forcibly unshed tears.

Believe it or not, on the front page was a picture of him in Riz, wrapped in each other's embrace under the falling autumn leaves with him planting a gentle kiss on her temple. It brought back so many painful memories and subconsciously, his fingers found their way to trace his now dry lips. It was suddenly refreshed in his memory the way her lips, though bloody, felt like heaven against his own.

"Momma tol' me that you an' that pretty girl wub each other very much! So, me and momma made that for you! 'cause since you wub her… you wanna 'member her everyday!" Hillary said happily. "Where is she, anyways, Unca 'andy? How come me don't see her?" she titled her head to the side.

_Maybe unfold some old yellow lost love letters.  
It's gonna hurt bad before it gets better._

Randy looked at Trish who merely shrugged. She, too, hadn't really been very approving of the project, but since her daughter was very persistent on the idea, she could do nothing else but agree and help her daughter out. She knew how it would be with Randy since he and Riz had been the talk of the roster for quite sometime because of their little so-called relationship. He suddenly smiled, and she smiled back.

He looked at the little girl on Trish's lap, smiled sincerely and said, "Baby girl… She's at home. She's at home."

The little girl simply nodded and sat there. "D'you like it?" she asked him.

He smiled and said, "Of course I do, baby girl. Now… Uncle Randy has to go since he has to get sleep. You want me to be all pretty for you tomorrow, right? When we go on our little date?"

She giggled and said, "Uh-huh!" she looked at her mom and said, "Momma, let's go, too! Me wanna be all pretty for Unca 'andy tomorrow!"

Trish and Hillary left the table to head off to their own hotel room. Trish had to agree, it was getting late and Hillary's curfew was just around the corner, so she decided why don't they go home. They left Randy there, sitting with the toddler's gift in his hands as he stared at it. No, he had gotten over it, right? It was all in the past, wasn't it?

Grabbing the bottle of wine nearby, he stood up and left his own birthday celebration. He avoided all eyes and questions and, without a doubt, just wanted to be alone. Holding the bottle and the scrapbook at his sides, he walked away from Hyperfusion, as if he were walking away from reality itself.

Randy Orton's Residence.  
10:04 PM.

Deciding he'd rather stay at his real home where he could throw things around rather than at the hotel, he enveloped himself in a fit of silence.

_I'm alone in this house again tonight. I've got the TV on.  
__The sound turned down and a bottle of wine._

The whole house was dark and quiet. No light was turned on. No sounds were heard except for the voices coming from the television. Its light was soft but bright; and it gave presence to a figure that sat on the couch. The figure outlined by the soft light looked tired, exhausted and, needless to say, depressed. An empty bottle of wine lay on the floor nearby, and a half-empty bottle of beer lay in his hands.

He came home to a house he had built in hopes of making a family. Despite his playboy stage and reputation to most people, Randy was a man who wanted to settle down one day. He wasn't getting any younger and he was afraid that the right girl just wouldn't come around. He tried to imagine something that would make him laugh, but to his dismay, he thought of Riz.

It wasn't a scene anyone ever saw. John had walked in on one before, but he swore not to tell anyone. Randy was doing the exact same thing he's doing now: watching old videos of Riz.

_I've never been the kind to ever let my feelings show.  
I thought that being strong meant never losing self-control._

-----

"_**What do you want, Orton?"**__ Riz said in a dark menacing straightforward voice as she stood up there on the ramp with her hand on her hip. Randy signaled with his hand for her to step down the ramp and into the ring. _

_She followed his wants and walked down the ramp and slid into the ring. She stood up in front of him and leant her weight on her right leg. __**"Remember our little deal, Riz? You know, the one about last night's match?"**__ Randy asked._

"_**Yeah…"**__ she replied bluntly._

"_**I was thinking last night and I've got the perfect idea for what I'm going to ask you to do… After all, it is my celebratory night… I mean… Congratulate me, Riz! I won against your boyfriend! …Shouldn't you be so proud of me?"**__ he said in all his stupid cockiness. The fans were going crazy just booing him._

"_**Oh, yeah, congratulations, jackass, you won… You're happy… Good for you…"**__ she said in all sarcasm and mock enthusiasm. Her voice was dripping with pure, concentrated sarcasm when she spoke those very words. The crowd cheered her on loudly because of that and because of the annoyed look on Randy's face._

"_**I got around to thinking, Riz… And I asked myself… What's the one thing you've never done for me that I would love for you to do?"**__ he started, in attempt to stop her sarcasm. __**"Oh, I know! You're the only girl who's never ever EVER in her career thrown herself at my feet and beg!"**_

_Riz quirked an eyebrow at his statement and waited for him to go on. __**"So… You're going to help me celebrate tonight!"**__ he said happily. The crowd was flooding with 'uh-oh's' and 'OMGs'. __**"Riz, you're going to have the honor tonight of having to strip right here in the middle of the ring to your underwear and of course… Give this newly-crowned champion a deserving congratulatory lap-dance to my music of choice…"**__ he said._

_With every word that came out of his mouth, Riz's eyes grew bigger. __**"One more thing… I'm going to strip you…" **__he said smugly. Being the sport that she was, Riz dropped the microphone and spread out her arms. She mouthed, 'I'm all yours' to him._

"_**You're serious? You're going to let me do it?"**__ Randy said, shocked that she was going to submit herself to his wants. She grabbed her discarded microphone and brought it to her lips. Her eyes were still grazing over with tears. __**"A deal is a deal, Orton… You won and you get what you want… I agreed to the stipulation, so I have to comply with it…"**__ she said._

_She took a breath before continuing. __**"All of you backstage listen… Orton, I made a promise so I'm going to keep it… So even if this will scratch my dignity, I'll do it… No one from backstage or from the audience or from under this ring will come out and stop whatever you're intending to do… Not John, not whoever… I'm yours in this ring and I will respect our deal and your wants… So, let's get this over with…"**__ she said before throwing the microphone away again and taking two steps closer to him._

_Randy let out a smug grin and threw his own microphone away. He handed his title to a referee at ringside and asked for a chair. The referee gave him one and he placed it in the middle of the ring. He sat down on it as the crowd was screaming, 'Riz! Don't do it! He's not worth it!' He pulled Riz closer to him so that she was standing in between his knees. Slowly, but surely, he took her white blouse off, leaving the razorback._

_His eyes widened with delight as he began to peel the razorback off her, leaving her in a black strapless bra. His hands trailed down from her abs to the button of her cargos. He slowly unbuttoned it and pulled down the zipper. In his mind, he was wondering why there wasn't any sign of restraint from her, but he chose to ignore it and go on with his happiness._

_He pulled down her jeans, leaving her in a pair of tight black short shorts and her rubber shoes. He removed those to and threw them to one side along with her white ped socks. He adored her slim body and ran his hands all over her midsection. He could feel that she was trying to stop herself from crying by the way her stomach bounced every now and then. He snapped his fingers as his theme song blasted through the arena. "Dance." He commanded._

_She obeyed and began to dance to his rock theme song around him. She did as she was told and gave him his 'celebratory lap-dance'. She continued to dance as she held back all the fighting tears and pleased him. She spun around and danced against him as he ran his hands across her body every now and then. She bit her lip as she swayed her hips and let him enjoy the sight of her. After the song had ended, she immediately grabbed her clothes and ran back up the ramp. __**"Hey! We aren't even done yet!"**__ he protested._

_She was handed a microphone and she said, __**"The deal was you strip me and I dance… It doesn't mean I have to stay… So, I'm done, Orton… I'm d-done…"**__ she said, her voice slightly breaking as she ran to the back._

_-----_

"_There's something missing…" Riz screamed over the music. "What?" he asked._

"_You!" came her reply._

"_Me?" he asked._

"_Skate with me!" she said. He merely shrugged his shoulders and went down the stairs. The attendant gave him a pair of skates as he put them on. He skated out onto the ice and met her in the middle. _

"_I don't know how to skate like you…" he said to her with an innocent voice. _

_She shook her head with a smile, "You don't have to…"_

_So, they started skating around. At first, they were rather unsure of what they were doing. But soon, they uncertainty melted away. They were laughing and smiling together. They skated around the rink and did couple moves every now and then, despite Randy saying that he didn't know how to skate like her. They once tried to do a Latin dance on the ice and they both ended up on their butts. Nonetheless, they were still laughing._

_Little did they know that John had come in after they had started skating. He had been there to surprise Riz. Randy had told him where they were so he went there. It looked like he wasn't quite needed to make Riz's day. He took the video camera that was deposited on a chair and began filming the two. He zoomed in on Riz every now and then. They looked so happy together._

…_**And I've never been the same… since you first believed…**_

_-----_

_The referee jumped down from the ring and checked up on Riz. He saw that there was a pool of blood beginning to form from where she hit her head. He immediately called for medics and signaled for the bell._

"_**Ladies and gentlemen, Riz cannot continue this match… So the winner and still your WWE Women's Champion, Mickie James!"**__ Lilian announced. Mickie's music was playing as she should have been celebrating, but instead, she climbed out of the ring and checked up on Riz._

_An unexpected visitor soon came out. Randy Orton. He ran down the ramp and to Riz. He had just changed into his jeans and white shirt when he saw what was happening so he immediately ran out to the ring. He took her now fading figure in his arms as he rubbed the blood off her lips. _

"_No, Riz… Don't you fade away… C'mon, Riz… C'mon… It's gonna be okay… Hang in there…" he kept saying._

_The medics were taking so long to come out since there were so many injured superstars tonight. Randy cradled Riz's slowly fading figure in his arms. Then, a fan at ringside asked, "Aren't you two supposed to be fighting?"_

_Deciding the medics were taking too long, Randy carried Riz bridal style in his arms before turning to the fan and saying, "Right now, we're not meant to be fighting…"_

_-----_

_Riz's music video:_

'_Cause I never got to say how you always made me feel like a star  
__How you made me special even when we were at war  
__I never got to say how much I really loved you despite all the hurt and pain we've been through  
__I never let it out, never dared to try. I was never invincible, I was never bulletproof  
__I was never all that strong just realizing  
__That I never got to say I love you.  
_…_That I never got to say I love you…_

_The music video Riz made was so dramatic, the toughest of hearts would've been punctured. Her own original song, "Never", was made for Randy._

_Riz came out at the very end and spoke the very words: "__**So, you see, Randy… I'm a fool if I'm a fool 'cause… Like the song says… I never got to say I love you..." **__before her image disappeared._

_-----_

Randy shut off the television and chugged down the remaining contents in his beer bottle. He shook his head and threw the bottle to the side. The crash gave him some kind of message and he suddenly remembered how she'd told him drinking never solved anything.

_I'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain.  
To hell with my pride, let it pour like rain from my eyes._

Wearily, he stood up and headed to bed. He lay down and looked up at the ceiling for sometime, asking himself where he'd gone wrong; where they'd gone wrong. Then, once again shaking his head, he closed his eyes. Before he drifted off, he muttered:

"I love you, too…"

* * *

** I must admit, this song is one of my most favorite songs to listen to when I'm down or even just heartbroken.  
PLEASE REVIEW if you read this. There's nothing more enjoyable for a writer than to see feedback from her readers. It is highly appreciated.**

**-_veracruzortongal_**


	4. Fascination

**Chapter Four:  
****Fascination  
****Kem**

April 2, 2009.  
Trish's Hotel Room, Room 890.  
5:58 PM.

Randy started his day off the usual way. He'd get up at nine, go to the gym and pump iron until twelve, have lunch with John and Trish until one and just play off the day until the evening. There wasn't much that he had wanted to do before the highlight of his day. He was picking up Hillary for their little so-called date to the Lyrics musical.

"Randy, look who's here all pretty for you…" Trish said as she opened the door to the bedroom and peeked out. Through the open door, little Hillary poked out a lightly made-up face and a bunch of curled brunette locks.

Randy stood up from where he sat on the couch, stretched out his jeans and polo shirt, and smiled. This little girl could brighten up his day anytime. "Hey there, Ri-ri…" he spoke softly as he knelt down and stretched his hand out. "Come out here so I can see how pretty you are…"

Hillary went back into the room and shut the door, leaving her mom standing outside and Randy blinking with a chuckle. Trish shook her head and said, "She's a little shy right now…"

"I'll go talk to her…" Randy said with a smile as he went to the door and knocked on it gently. "Ri-ri… Can Uncle Randy come in?"

"No." came the little girl's stubborn reply.

"Ri-ri…" Randy said. He twisted the knob and realized that it was open and unlocked. He pushed the door open and saw the little girl sitting on the bed with her back to him. He'd notice that white princess dress anywhere. He stepped in and shut the door quietly behind him. He walked over to her and said, "Ri-ri, what's wrong?"

"Go away!" she said and looked away from him.

"Hillary…" he said in a serious voice as he knelt down in front of her.

"What?" she said arrogantly, reminding Randy of Trish.

"Hillary, look at Uncle Randy…" he said.

Hillary turned her head and looked at Randy dead in the eyes. "Okay, now tell Uncle Randy what's wrong…"

She looked down at her lap with tears streaming down at her face before saying, "I no pretty 'nuff, Unca 'andy… No pretty 'nuff for you…"

He sighed and took the little girl in his arms. He took her place on the bed and placed Hillary on his lap. He asked, "Why, Ri-ri? You know you're always pretty in Uncle Randy's eyes…"

"Me not pretty like girl you wub… So if me not pretty 'ike her, Unca 'andy no wub me an-y-more…" Hillary said in between sniffles.

Randy smiled at her innocence and hugged her, "Ri-ri, you're pretty in your own way; and Uncle Randy loves you just the way you are. You don't have to be pretty like her. I'll love you all the same. See…" he pushed the curls away from her face. "You're really pretty… Look how your mommy made you extra pretty for me today!"

"So, you wub me, Unca 'andy?" Hillary asked.

Randy nodded. "M-hmm! Uncle Randy loves his little Ri-ri very much."

"P'omise?" she asked.

"Promise."

"'inky swear?"

He smiled. "Pinky swear."

They locked pinkies and sealed the deal. "C'mon, now… Smile for Uncle Randy." He said.

Little by little, hesitant at first, Hillary broke into a toothy smile and hugged one of her favorite uncles. Randy smiled and hugged her back tightly, as if never to let her go. "Don't ever think you're not pretty enough, ok?" he said. She nodded.

"Well, let's go then! We have a date, remember? We're going to see the Lyrics musical!" he said enthusiastically.

She giggled at her uncle and allowed him to carry her outside where they met her mom. "Momma, Unca 'andy and me gonna 'eave a'eady!" she said.

Trish smiled and walked up to them. "Well, you two take care. Randy, make sure she's home by nine, ok? She still has her bedtime to follow." She said in a motherly way.

"Yes, ma'am!" he replied and saluted to her. "We're off now!"

Trish gave Hillary a kiss on the cheek, as did the little girl to her mother, and soon, the two were off to see the musical at the local theatre. It wasn't very far. Randy drove his Hummer while Hillary sat strapped in behind the driver's seat and played with her dress. Soon enough, they reached the theatre, found a parking space and got ready to go in.

Randy carried the little girl as to not get her pretty white shoes dirty. Once they were inside and they had given their tickets to the ticket man, they found their seats and sat there quietly waiting for the show to start. Luckily, no one spotted Randy and walked up to him for an autograph or a picture. Hillary never liked it when other people took her Uncle Randy away during their bonding time.

The musical began and the little girl watched the actors and actresses with gleaming eyes…

_It was a story about a writer, Jonathan, who wrote special lyrics that brought a young woman, Kelly, to life. Whenever he sings the song, the girl would be brought to life and would live a total of twelve hours. Jonathan fell in love with Kelly and spent almost every waking moment with her._

_That was, until in one particular set of twelve hours, the wicked wizard Carlo kidnapped the girl and the lyrics. He also took away Jonathan's voice. He tried to make her fall in love with him but he couldn't, for she disappeared before he could force her to say yes to his marriage proposal. He tried singing the song, but couldn't get the notes right, so he was stuck with a piece of paper and no girl._

_He thought to himself that if he couldn't have Kelly, no one should have her. So Carlo burned the only copy of the lyrics and left Jonathan to lie in misery. He had lost the love of his life. He had lost his voice. He couldn't do anything more._

_Still, he tried to break the curse and tried to sing. He screamed at the top of his lungs but nothing came out. One night, he looked out his window and saw a shining star. He wished hard on the star and asked for the love of his life. A fairy came out and said that he should first kill Carlo, then he would get his voice and Kelly back._

_Jonathan defeated Carlo in a battle of swords and sabers. There was no magic allowed in the fight. Once, Carlo was vanquished, the fairy appeared in front of Jonathan and beckoned him to sing. She used her magic to recreate the burnt paper with the lyrics, so Jonathan opened his mouth and sang every note._

_Kelly came to life and soon, the two lovers were united. The fairy said that thanks to their undying love for each other that crossed the borders of life, inexistence and sacrifice, she would permanently allow Kelly to live and love with Jonathan._

Randy saw the actress who played Kelly and noticed that she was RC under layers of make-up and fancy clothing. It was her again. To him, she looked as beautiful as ever. She acted so well and portrayed her character even better. In the midst of his trance, though, Hillary suddenly sat on his lap and snuggled up to him because she was scared of Carlo and his magical mayhem.

The musical ended and the cast took their final bows. The audience gave a standing ovation to the artists. The curtains were closed and the lights were turned on. Everyone started leaving their seats, including Randy and Hillary. The two walked hand-in-hand to the lobby and went outside. Randy, deciding that he wanted to congratulate RC, bought three pretty daisies from the flower vendor nearby and waited for RC and the others to come out.

While waiting, Hillary had fallen asleep in Randy's arms. The little girl lost all her energy awing at the musical. Soon enough, the entire cast stepped out of the theatre and Randy, with the little girl in his arms, sought RC. He found her standing near the edge of the sidewalk waiting for a cab to come by.

"RC!" he called out. She spun her head to see a familiar man walk up to her with a kid in his arms.

"Hey, Randy! What brings you here?" she asked, her hands still stuffed in her trench coat.

"I came to see the show with this little princess over here." He answered.

"Aaw. The little girl's asleep. Must've tired her out. Is she your daughter?" she asked, admiring the sleeping angel's face.

"Nah. She's the daughter of a friend of mine, Trish. Trish Stratus. I promised the kid I'd take her to see the show." He replied.

"I see! Well, you better get her home already! I'm thinking she wants to be in bed with her stuffed animals now." she joked.

He laughed. "Yeah, I guess I should. But I wanted to wait out here for you. I wanted to say congratulations on a great show! I never knew you acted or sang!" he said and smiled at her.

She chuckled. "Well, not many people take me for an artist."

There was a brief moment of silence before Randy remembered the daisies he had bought. "Oh! Uhm… Here! These are for you." He said and handed her the flowers.

She accepted them and smiled. "Thank you! Aaw. They're so pretty!" she replied.

"Just like you…" he said with a sweet smile.

_It was fascination. I know.  
A passing glance. A brief romance._

She blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Thanks…"

Little Hillary woke up and rubbed her eyes. "Unca 'andy… Are we home now?" she asked.

"Not yet, Ri-ri. But look, I've got someone I want you to meet…" he said and turned so she could see RC. "Her name is RC. She's the one who played Kelly, remember?"

Hillary tilted her head and scanned RC's face. "You 'ook 'ike girl in picture…" she said.

RC chuckled. "Hi there… Ri-ri, was that?" she said.

"'illary." Little Hillary said. "Only Unca 'andy can call me 'i-ri."

"My bad, Hillary. Well, my name is RC. Nice to meet you, Hillary." RC said with a smile.

"'ice to meet you, too. You like my Unca 'andy?" Hillary smirked.

"Okay!" Randy said before RC got to say anything. "You know what, Ri, we've got to get you home! Your mommy's gonna scold Uncle Randy already! Now, let's get you strapped up in the car, okay?" he said and shoved the kid into the backseat of the car. He strapped her in and shut the door.

"Forgive her. She tends to say things out of context." He said to RC and smiled innocently.

RC laughed and patted him on the head. "You two are so darn cute!" she said. "Well, like you told Hillary, you'd best get home now. It's past her bedtime and her mom might scold you. I'd best head home now, too."

"Wait! Uhm… Maybe I could give you… a ride home? It isn't really safe around here at this time of the night." He said and gave off his best innocent smile.

"Nah, I'll be fine. I'm used to it. I'll just catch a cab and be home in no time."

"No, I want to." He insisted. "Please? We can drop the kid off at Trish's hotel room then… I don't know… I was kind of thinking we could chill and hang out or something… like… friends?"

She thought for a minute and said, "Well, if you're insistent, maybe yeah, we could do that." before smiling.

"Great! Well… Hop in!" he said and opened the driver's passenger seat door for her.

She got in and looked behind her. Hillary was knocked out. Randy got in the driver's seat and chuckled at the sight of the knocked out little girl. "Guess she's really tired." She said.

They drove to the hotel first to drop Hillary off at Trish's hotel room. They parked the car and went up to Trish's room. Randy was carrying Hillary and RC was just there to accompany him. Trish opened the door and chuckled, "I see she got herself tired."

Randy handed the sleeping girl to her mother and said, "Yeah, she enjoyed the show a lot."

Trish then turned her attention to RC. Trish looked like she had just seen a ghost. "Uhm… I'm sorry, but do I know you from somewhere?" she asked politely.

RC smiled and said, "I'm not sure, but for the record, hi, Trish, my name's RC…" as she stretched out her hand for a shake.

Trish shook it and then turned to Randy, "She looks awfully familiar, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, she kinda does. She was the teacher who brought her whole class to my autograph signing for their field trip, sang down at the lounge and performed at the Lyrics musical. So, yeah, she looks familiar to me!" he said and laughed wholeheartedly.

Trish smiled at the sight of Randy laughing. It's been long since he heard him like that. "Well, I'd best get this little girl to bed. I'll see you in the morning, Randy! And, RC, it was a pleasure meeting you." the former WWE diva said.

"Same to you!" RC replied. Trish then closed the door and left the two standing outside. RC turned to Randy and asked, "How come you guys seem to know me already?" and laughed.

They started walking to the elevators as Randy said, "Beats me! Hey, I know this great place we could go to get some late night ice cream. It's good stuff!"

"Don't tell me… It's… the Dairy Queen down the street?" RC said and smiled.

"Hey, how'd you know?"

"I live in St. Louis, Randy. I think I'd know where to find good stuff to satisfy a sweet tooth like mine." The two laughed and made their way to the Dairy Queen. They didn't take Randy's car that time. They just walked to the shop since it was just a couple of blocks from the hotel.

"So, tell me, Randy…" RC started. "How come Trish is with you guys? Didn't she resign two years ago?"

"Well, she wanted to travel the world again and she wanted to experience being in the WWE again. So, for the past year or so, she's been traveling with us. Good thing for her is that her daughter's still young. Trish helps out with the costume department and helps around with the divas. Hillary, on the other hand, loves playing with her uncles and aunts." He explained and smiled at the last part.

"I see. Well, then, where's her husband?"

"He comes by every now and then, but he stays at home and works most of the time. They've got the best long distance relationship I've ever seen. I admire them, you know. But enough about them! C'mon, I want to know who is this RC I've been talking to." He said.

"Well… I've got answers if you've got questions." She said.

"For starters… What does RC stand for?" he asked.

"Raia Cathleen."

"And… where exactly do you live?"

"Left on the third street from here. Then, second house on the left." She said and pointed it out to him.

"No kidding! I live on the first house on the left!" he exclaimed.

"Seriously? So that's why no one's ever there!" she said. "Wait, what was happening over there last night? I got home from my shift at the lounge and it was all dark and creepy. But there was someone inside…"

"Oh, uhm… That was me. I was sort of out of it last night so I… Yeah, that." He explained and looked down. "I'm sorry if I creeped you out or anything. I was just… out of it. I didn't want to cause a fuss at the hotel so I went home and did it there."

She nodded. "That's ok. I understand. But cut down on the crash and burn sounds, okay? I wouldn't be surprised if the police suddenly raided your house on the thought that someone broke in." she said and smiled.

He laughed. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind the next time I do that."

They got to the Dairy Queen and stepped inside. Randy offered to treat her to her favorite sweets and she accepted the offer. They each got a cup of their favorite Blizzard ice cream and then went back outside to continue their walk. They were going to the nearest park and playground so they could just chill and sit there.

At the playground, they sat on a swing each and continued their little chat.

"So, how come you're teaching kindergarten, singing at the lounge and acting at the theatre at the same time?" Randy asked as he ate his ice cream.

She gulped down the ice cream in her mouth and replied, "Well, I needed the cash. So, I made ends meet and worked out a schedule where I could take on four jobs and still keep my sanity in check."

"Four?"

"Oh, uhm, I work part-time at Hyperfusion on Saturday nights. They give good tips there, especially when there's a huge event."

"You do? My friends threw me a party there last night. Wasn't exactly the best, but I'm thankful they remembered."

"Why? What was the occasion yesterday?" she inquired.

"It was my birthday, actually."

"Oh, well… Happy Birthday!" she said.

"Thanks."

"And because it's your birthday, well, was, I'm going to get to sing you a birthday song!" she said and giggled. "C'mon, c'mon… Maybe you've got a request or something! It's gonna be my late gift for you!"

He shook his head and said, "Nah. It's okay… You don't have to sing…"

"I want to! Please? I'd regret it if I didn't get to sing you a birthday song!" she said.

"Fine…." he said and smiled. "Maybe you could sing… that song back in the musical? During the part when Jonathan and Kelly were reunited. I liked the sound of that one."

"Alright, well, here goes. I can only sing Kelly's part." She said.

"It's ok." Came his reply.

RC stood up and started to sing for Randy.

_I yearn for your touch, your soft sweet kiss  
__I'll hold your hand in mine just like this  
__And we'll hold on. We'll always hold on.  
__Until I'm in your arms again_

_I don't know how long I've really loved you  
__I'll stand here, right in front of you  
__No matter what happens, whatever gets in the way  
__We'll always see the day_

_Tell me you'll always love me  
__That you'll never really need to see  
__Why you fell over and over again  
__And tell me it's never the end of our forever  
__It's never the end of forever  
__As long as I'm in your arms with your love  
__And your sweet kiss_

_We'll be alright, simply alright  
__It'll all be alright  
__For you and me…_

Randy applauded for her magnificent performance and gave off a huge smile. "That was amazing…" was the only thing he could say.

She curtsied for him and chuckled a little. "I'm glad you liked it." she said and sat back down on the swing.

The rest of the night, they talked more and more about themselves and inquired more about each other. They talked about their professions, their bosses, sports, what they do during their free time and basically almost all the basic stuff of the "getting to know each other" stage.

At the end of their little outing to the playground, they both decided to walk back to the hotel to grab Randy's car and drive home. The playground was near the hotel anyways. They hopped into his Hummer, drove to the third street and turned left. Randy parked his car in his driveway first before hopping out to accompany RC to her house.

_And I might have gone on my way empty-hearted.  
My fascination. Ooh._

At her doorstep, he asked, "I'm wondering if it's too much to ask… But, I don't really like calling you RC… So maybe, if you'd allow me… Maybe I could call you Raia instead?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it's okay. I'm alright with it."

"Alright. Cool. Well, we'd best get some sleep. Tomorrow's probably another long day. So… You've got my number already, right?"

"Yeah, you gave it to me two days ago in the strangest of ways." She said and chuckled. "I'll just send you a message then…"

"Yeah. Thanks for, you know, letting me treat you and hanging out with me…"

"Thanks for offering. Are you going back to the hotel?"

"Nah. I'll crash here at my place. But I'll probably head back to the hotel tomorrow morning for a workout."

"Alright. Well, I had a great time with you tonight."

"Same here. I'll talk to you tomorrow, then?" he inquired.

She nodded and said, "Sure. Tomorrow."

"Bye. Have a nice sleep. I promise I won't crash things around the house this time." He joked.

She laughed and said, "You better not."

The two went their separate ways and entered their own houses. RC, or now preferably called Raia, changed her clothes and lay down on her bed. She sent him a message before drifting off into wonderland.

Randy, on the other hand, changed into his nightwear and sat on his bed thinking about the night's happenings. He got his phone and saw a message from an unknown number. He opened it and it said:

_Hey. Raia here. Thanks for tonight. I really appreciate it. See you soon! G'night._

He smiled and replied to her message before flipping his phone closed and placing it on the night stand. He saw the scrapbook Hillary made sitting there on the stand so he took it and flipped it open. There were a lot of pictures of him and Riz. _It'll all be alright for you and me…_ the line of the song repeated itself in his head.

Suddenly he realized that that night, Riz hardly passed his mind. It was as if Raia made him forget all about Riz. Not completely, but enough to detangle him from his web of questions. He smiled, lay down with the scrapbook beside him and whispered before falling asleep:

"_I love you, Riz. I'll never ever forget you. But maybe, just maybe, this is letting go."_

_My fascination, ooh, my, my fascination turned to love._

_

* * *

_

**Alright! So, reader, did you like this chapter? I myself love how Randy's slowly moving on. Do you have any suggestions or comments? If you do, or even if you don't, please review and share your thoughts.**

**In the meantime, there's a poll up on my homepage for Final Touches. If you're interested in that story, please vote for what you want to happen. Who knows, it may just be what really happens in the story. Thanks!**

**-_veracruzortongal_**


	5. Hello Goodbye

**Chapter Five:  
****Hello Goodbye  
Jonathan Clay**

April 3, 2009.  
Hotel Gym.  
9:18 AM.

Randy was getting in a mid-morning muscle-toning before heading off to have some brunch with John at the local IHOP. He was doing his fourth set of fifty single arm push-ups and the after-effect of the past two hour workout was clearly seen from the falling beads of sweat on his bare torso.

"47… 48… 49… 50." He mentally counted before standing up and taking deep breaths. That morning, after getting up at the ungodly hour of 6, he went out for a jog around the park and playground. Once he'd gotten back home, he grabbed some things and headed to back to the hotel where he was making full use of the gym facilities.

He walked around the gym as his cool down and decided he'd go up to his unvisited hotel room and take a shower before heading off to meeting John at the lobby. He wiped off his sweat, put a shirt on and grabbed his gym bag. While he was walking to the elevators, his phone rang to Trish's ringtone.

"Hello?" he answered as he waited for the elevator.

"Hey, Randy! I need a huge favor." Trish said.

"Shoot. What is it?"

"Well, I kind of have to go to a last-minute costume thing with the divas and no one's going to watch Hillary. So, I was wondering…" she started to explain but was cut-off by Randy.

"…if I could ever so nicely step in and baby-sit the little tot for a while?" he said and smiled as he got into the open elevator.

"Oh please? Could you could you could you? Please?" Trish asked.

"Don't need to ask me twice. I'm heading up to my room now. You could drop her there and I'll just take her with me and John to brunch at IHOP." He offered.

"Thank you thank you thank you, Randal Keith Orton!" Trish squealed. "I'm gonna go get her things ready. Thank you!"

"No problem. Tell the kid she and I are going to have fun." Randy said before the two hung up.

He shoved his phone back into his pocket and stepped out of the elevator once the little ding sounded and the doors slid open. He headed down the hallways to his room and stepped inside. Not even wasting another minute, he immediately shed his clothes and stepped into a cold shower to rejuvenate his system.

_I'm afraid I cannot lie.  
She didn't even try and I was blown away._

Lathering some soap onto his chiseled chest, he slowly began to reminisce about the night before. It had been a long night and for the first time in quite some time, he had fallen asleep with a smile on his face. Added to that, he was able to sleep soundly without the help of intoxication. Surely, Riz would have been proud of him. He smiled and, oddly enough, began to sing in the shower.

"…Ooh, I feel my temperature rising. Higher and higher, it's burning through to my soul. Your kisses lift me higher like the sweet song of a choir. You light my morning sky with burning love… I'm just a hunk of, hunk of burning love!" He sang and imitated Elvis Presley; his shampoo bottle soon becoming his microphone.

"I'm just a hunk of, hunk of burning love…" Randy sang then heard the annoying doorbell ring through the room. He quickly jumped out of the shower, hollered 'give me a second' and put his t-shirt and jeans on. Opening the door with still wet hair and gasping for breath, he was bombarded with a huge hug from his little niece.

"Unca 'andy!" Little Hillary squealed in delight as she ran into the arms of her uncle.

Randy laughed and picked the kid up and into his arms. "Hey there, Ri-ri!" he said and they shared a tender Eskimo kiss.

"Momma said me gonna spend the day wit' you!" she said with a little giggle.

"Mommy's is right!" he said as he situated her on his hip. "And we're gonna have a lot of fun, aren't we, baby girl?"

"Uh-huh!" Hillary replied with a nod and a toothy smile.

"So, I know she's in good hands." Trish said as she placed Hillary's bag in Randy's hands. "You two have fun! Bye, baby. Thanks, Randy!" she said and gave them both kisses on the cheek.

"You can pick her up later. We'll be making sweet melodies together." Randy said and laughed.

Trish smirked and replied, "I'm sure you'll be singing tunes, Elvis."

The man quickly turned red and chuckled. Trish laughed and shook her head. The last time she had heard Randy belt out a song in the shower, he had been in love with Riz. At that time, he had only been singing songs by the Black Eyed Peas. His rendition of Bebot was a classic. Now, though, he had gone into the King of Rock and Roll mode.

_I can't help my attraction.  
It's a chemical reaction and it's here to stay._

"Just a reminder, Randy, these walls aren't exactly soundproof for the most part. Make sure my baby girl doesn't get your Presley high." Trish said, smiled and walked out the door.

After Trish had left, Randy told a staring Hillary, "So, Uncle John and I were going to go get some brunch at IHOP. You're going to be coming with us, okay?"

The little girl nodded and asked, "Where's Unca Jay?"

Then, the doorbell dinged. Randy said, "There he is!"

He ran to open the door and saw his best friend on the other side. "Yo, Jay! I've got to say, today's our lucky day. Before we go, I've got to let you know that we've got quite a beautiful date lined up this morning…" he said.

"Who?" John asked.

"Unca Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" Hillary screamed as she ran to John and literally jumped into his arms.

"Whoa! Hey there, kid!" John said as he caught the youngster and lifted her high up into the air. "So you're our lovely date for the day, aren't you?"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Hillary said as she bounced up and down in his arms.

John chuckled and turned to face Randy, "I'd say let's get going but, dude, you need to look in that mirror and fix yourself. You're a little less Lady Killer and little more Lady Bug today."

Randy looked into the mirror and laughed wholeheartedly, "You're right. I do look like a Lady Bug with this hair."

"Unca' 'andy's a wady bug?" Hillary asked, staring holes into Randy as though she were trying to make sense of why her uncle had become one of the insects she had watched in A Bug's Life. Meanwhile, as the Legend Killer fixed his hair with some gel and a comb, John shook his head and wondered what real bug had gotten into his system and made him this giddy so early in the morning.

Table 9, IHOP.  
10:31 AM

"I'll have a stack of your Strawberry French Toast and two vanilla milkshakes, please." Randy said to their waitress, Linda; a fifty year old woman who had the sweetest grandmother smile you could ever be victimized of.

"I'll just have a stack of pancakes and coffee. Thanks." John ordered. The two of them handed Linda their menus and, after she had left, talked. "…Strawberry French Toast, Retard? How gay can you get?"

Randy chuckled. "Shut up, man. I'm sharing with Ri." He said and watched the little kid who was coloring a picture of a turtle.

"So, Randy, I've got a really serious question for you." The older man said seriously.

Randy took his eyes away from the adorable little girl and said to John, "What is it?"

"Have you ever thought of having a little girl? Like…" John made a motion with his eyes that indicated Hillary. "…her?"

Randy took one look at the little girl and smiled. "Funny thing, John, but ever since I saw Riz that day during the autograph signing you two had for your movie, and she had a little girl on her lap, I've always been wondering if maybe, one day, I'll get to have one with her you know?

…Then this little midget comes into the picture." The Legend Killer said, referring to Hillary. "…And sometimes I feel as though she were my own. Like maybe my probable little girl would have been like her. She's like Riz, you know?"

John smiled. "Yeah, the little kid acts like Riz. I remember her first day on the job. She was so… cute." He said, not finding the right words to describe the late diva.

"Cute?" Randy said with a chuckle. "Now, look who's turning all chick on me?"

"Shut up, retard." John said humorously as he threw a ball of tissue at Randy. He wondered why Randy wasn't being as dramatic and fussy about the topic as he always was.

"Do we…" Randy started.

"…miss her that badly? Yeah." John continued, already knowing what his best friend was about to say.

The younger man simply nodded before John went on. "You got something on your mind, don't'cha, Randy?"

_Love is something that you need.  
It's just like water to the trees._

He nodded once more. "I don't know what it is, John. But all of a sudden, after I meet this other girl, it's like Riz was completely wiped out of my senses. It's like I'm this whole other person that, you know, gets out there and gets it done good." Randy admitted as their food came.

They gave Hillary her food and resumed their conversation. "And who is this girl exactly?" John asked, raising an eyebrow as he poured blueberry syrup on his stack of pancakes.

"She's… uhm… she's everywhere, actually. But I met her during my latest signing. She was the last. Well, her whole class, really." He chuckled, remembering every second of that Kodak moment.

"I don't know, Randy. Knowing you, I mean seriously here, dude, you don't fall for a girl easily. Sure, if you wanna tap her then maybe you'd fall for a second but then it's all gone. Even for Riz… you didn't fall that fast. You sure you don't just want some game from her?" John said, stuffing his mouth with some pancakes.

"Hell no! And I know! It's like… Riz changed me. It's like she gave me a heart or something. I don't know what the hell it is, John. But this girl… it's like… she pulls me in…" Randy admitted as he ate his share of the Strawberry French Toast.

"Go for it." John said simply.

"What?"

"I said go for it, Randy. See where it goes. Let yourself fall in love." John clarified.

"What do you mean?"

"I meant see where this 'pulling in' gets you. I'm not telling you to get her laid or something, bro, but let's admit it. You can't spend the rest of your life crying over Riz. So, move on. Take my advice, don't be the Legend Killer. Just be Randy. Everyone always said that was your better half." John said and stifled a chuckle in hopes of not spraying the pancakes already half-chewed in his mouth.

Randy chuckled. "For a thug, you sound more whacked than Dr. Phil. I'm not going after Raia… I don't even know if she has a boyfriend or what…" he explained as he ate some more.

"The—" John was about to verbally slap Randy for relating him to Dr. Phil when the Legend Killer's phone suddenly rang.

"It's her." Randy said, looking at the caller ID.

"Then answer it, idiot!"

"Hello?" Randy said, still not getting the fact why he was acting like a high school boy all over again.

"Hi, Randy! Raia here." A perky female voice came from the other end.

"Hey! What's up?" he asked. He put her on speakerphone so John could hear.

"Remember that you wanted to come and visit the kids one of these days? Well, tomorrow they've got no lessons so I was wondering if you'd like to drop by tomorrow? I --- no, Tyler, don't eat Batman! --- thought you'd want to --- Max, close that lunch box! --- maybe drop by?" she said with an obvious deep breath.

Randy chuckled and said, "Sure thing!"

"Alright! Well, I'll—" Raia was saying before John said, "Can I come along? Please?"

"Randy?" she inquired.

Randy smiled and said, "That was just John Cena. He's my friend."

"Oh, him! I've heard of him. The kids love him as well! They'd love for him to come, too! Hi, Mr. Cena!" she said cheerfully.

"A'right!" John screamed with a huge smile.

"Alright! Well, that's set then! I'd better get back to the --- ZACK GET DOWN FROM THAT TABLE! --- kids. I gotta go. Thanks!" she said and put down the phone after another kid's name was heard.

"Was that Miss RC?" the once busy little girl beside Randy inquired.

"Yeah. Do you remember her?" Randy asked the little girl with a smile.

"Mhmm. She was really nice and pretty." Hillary said as she continued coloring. "…Do you like her, Unca 'andy?"

"What makes you say that, baby girl?" he asked, intrigued by the pink chicken the little girl was making.

"Well, you got her pretty flowers. You never got me any flowers…" she replied like she was the jealous girlfriend or something.

John and Randy chuckled. "Kiddo, don't worry. When we're done eating, I'll get you a pretty little rose to go with that pretty red ribbon in your hair, okay?" John said.

"Unca Jay is now my favorite uncle." The little girl proclaimed while coloring the dog purple.

"What about me!" Randy exclaimed.

She didn't answer for a few seconds, only continued coloring her very interesting rainbow-colored farm scene. It reminded the two superstars of Jeff Hardy's outrageous hair, but they couldn't make out which of the two was wilder.

"Naw, o' course, you're also my favorite and I still wub you, Unca 'andy." She giggled then launched herself into his arms for a precious hug and kiss on the cheek.

Nonetheless, the two men simply chuckled at the little girl. She reminded them of another.

Randy's House.  
10:06 PM.

He'd come home, oddly enough, hoping to at least catch a glimpse of Raia. He felt like a little boy with a crush on the little girl with braided pigtails who lived next door. He would check his window every three minutes just to see no stirs in the house next door.

Finally, he decided to call her up. If he couldn't catch a glimpse of her, he might as well settle with hearing her voice. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and searched for her name. _Pott… Pyro… Qman… Raia._ _There we go._

_Tried to figure out something clever I could say.  
About the weather, how's your day, what's your book about?_

It ringed a couple of times before heading to her voicemail. _Hey! It's RC. I can't pick up my phone right now, probably out saving the world or something. Leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as I can. Okay? Thanks!_

"Hey, Raia! Randy here. Well, I… uuh.. I just wanted to ask where your class tomorrow is… Yeah. That. Call me back soon. Thanks." He said, suddenly regretting why he had even called her up in the first place. He was convinced that he sounded like a dork trying to ask the cheerleader out to a date or even to prom through his robot-shaped phone.

He slipped the phone into the pocket of his jeans and went down to the kitchen to grab a glass of OJ. No alcohol for him tonight. He wanted to stay sane. It shocked him, actually. Suddenly, hard liquor seemed repulsive to his taste buds.

Midway through his drink, his phone vibrated, immediately sending brainwaves that told him to _pick it up. Raia was calling. He had to pick it up or else he would hang himself from a tree._ It was the girl calling. He did pick it up. With a shaky voice, he managed to say, "Hey!"

"Hey! I'd just like to ask if that was Randy Orton who left a message for me to call him back or it was his little boy or twin brother that I knew not of." She said jokingly then giggled a bit.

Randy smiled and ran his hand through his face. "It sounded that bad, huh?" he said.

She giggled again, "Actually, Mr. Orton, it sounded really cute. You should stutter more on public television. It would be a huge hit to ladies and little girls alike."

"Ha-ha. Very funny. Where have you been? It's past ten and I've been trying to call… I mean… you know, to ask about the thing tomorrow…" he said nervously while heading up to his room.

She laughed out loud. "Well, mother, I've been doing a Lyrics play for the past two hours and I don't think they'd appreciate Kelly being on her phone while doing the duet with Jonathan." She said.

"You just hate me so much, you torture me, right?" he said and chuckled. He put on his mother voice and said, "Young lady, it is past your curfew! Get your sorry butt home now!"

"Mother…" she chuckled. "Look outside your window."

Confused, Randy looked out his bedroom window and saw her looking through her own. "By home, I meant here, young lady!" he pushed on, flirting a bit and sending her one of his patented Orton smirks.

She laughed, "Mom, I'm having a sleepover. Don't be such a killjoy. I'll call you first thing in the morning."

"You better, young lady, or you're grounded." He replied while wagging his pointer finger.

"Sure, mother. Whatever." She said and rolled her eyes before chuckling.

"First thing in the morning, okay?" he said and sent her a smile.

"Will do." She replied and sent a smile back to him. They both hung up their phones at the same time. She gave a small wave, which he returned, and closed her curtains for night.

He smiled to himself, contented with seeing her home, safe and sound.

_Hello goodbye is all she said.  
But she won't seem to leave my head._

**This is probably one of the fluffiest chapters I've ever written. Kind of? Maybe. I'd kill to see and hear Randy Orton singing Burning Love in the shower. Not to mention that whole Lady Bug lingo. (I pretty much laugh at my own humor, don't you agree?)**

**For those who don't know this Johnathan Clay song, get it on iTunes or wherever like now. It's an addicting song. I just had to use it for this chapter! Hey, if the shoe/song fits.**

**So I haven't been posting review replies, but here are some: for the few who support me. I love you guys. Thank you.**

**johncena1wifey - **First to fifth chapter's up now! Extra Extra Read All About It. Haha!  
**sweetcandyfun - **I love you for supporting this whole shindig. Though I must say it is kind of fluffy and boring as of late. I may need to spice it up, eh? And who says Riz is coming back? Haha! Ssh.  
**hotpocketbandit - **Wow, thanks for the comment on the first story! Hope you keep supporting this one!  
**Jun6293 - **Moving on is usually the hardest thing to do, huh? Aw, you'll be gone in August? No worries, I'll keep the story so you have like a ton to read when you get back! Hope to hear from you with this chapter.

**To the readers/viewers, thank you! I'm still hoping to hear from you/get a review. Let me know if it's going okay or if you want something to happen. Comments, suggestions and plugs are welcome. Lol!**

**-_veracruzortongal_**

* * *


	6. A Beautiful Mess

**Chapter Six:  
****A Beautiful Mess  
****Jason Mraz**

April 4, 2009.  
Randy's House.  
5:42 AM.

Ring. Ring. The sound of his phone ringing certainly was annoying. It was quarter to seven in the morning! Who would be bothering him at this ungodly hour?

"Myeho?" his hello sounded garbled as he answered his phone with his face still buried deep into his soft pillow.

_You're the kind of girl who can take down a man  
__and lift him back up again._

"Good morning, mother! First thing in the morning, remember?" she said cheerfully, giggling at the tone of his seemingly strangled voice.

A smile suddenly crept on Randy's face, "First thing in the morning meant when the sun was already up, young lady."

She chuckled. "In my world, it's time to get up. What kind of mother are you? Where's my breakfast?" she said jokingly.

"Oh, go get some fries from McDonald's or something. There are some slices of ham in the fridge if you want…" he replied, less groggy now.

"On second thought, I'll skip breakfast today." She giggled. "You can head back to sleep. I was just about to get ready to leave. I'll see you later?"

"Wait. Two questions. Where are you going this early and where am I supposed to go later?" he asked, remembering that he never got the school or street he was supposed to head to.

"It's a couple of blocks down once you get to the main road. Look for a big yellow sign that has a misspelled school on it." She giggled. "I'm heading out to by today's snacks for the kids. They get some snacks before they leave school."

"Ooh…" Randy half-groaned. "I guess I'll see you later then? I need about two hours more of sleep."

Raia chuckled. "Okay then. Have a great two hours, Sleeping Beauty." She said before hanging up the phone and heading on to her day.

Skool For Kids.  
9:13 AM.

After picking John, who had a tiny little girl on his back, up from the hotel, the three went straight to hunting for the yellow sign with the misspelled school. They found it and, much to their dismay, found Hillary was making a fuss about how it was spelled the right way. After they got her to stop pouting about correcting her toddler spelling bee, they got down from the car and headed into the school.

"We're here." Randy said as they stepped into the room filled with familiar faces. "…And guess who came along?"

In stepped John with Hillary still hanging from his back like some sort of backpack. "Cena is in the house!" he said loud enough to send the kids running to the both of them squealing.

Raia smiled and shook her head from where she was arranging books on the bookshelf. She could hear the little boys screaming 'O' yea'! John Cena and Randy Orton are here!' and the little girls saying 'Hi! My name is Jessica. What's yours?' to their newfound friend.

"Whoa! Whoa! Chill there for a minute, kids. I gotta put this package down." John said. He swung Hillary from his back and raised her high up into the air. "I got a package from the mailman. Someone sent me this kid instead of my pizza!" he said jokingly. Hillary giggled as the other kids laughed and started asking John to pick them up and swing them into the air, too.

Meanwhile, Randy walked over to Raia and greeted her with a hello as she finished clearing up the books. "Hey there, young lady." He said jokingly with a smile.

"Mother, how many times must I tell you not to follow me around?" she replied with the same humor.

They both laughed at themselves. "I see you brought Hillary along…" Raia said, referring to the little girl who was now getting ready to watch Cinderella with the rest of the other girls.

"She wanted to come along. She's never been to a school and, with us always on the road, she doesn't have many friends except for the Levesque kids." He replied.

"John's also making quite the impression on the kids." She chuckled as she pointed out John who was making faux title belts at the art station with the little boys. They were debating on what title they would put. Zack, as Raia heard, wanted to make a belt dubbing himself as "The Awesomest Champion".

"He's a kid kind of guy, really. You should see him when all the older stars bring their little midgets. They come running to him like a pack of wolves about to eat him." He said then laughed. "He laps up the attention anyways."

"I can see that." She said then giggled as they both walked over to the lunchboxes. "Why don't you go and make titles with them? I'm sure they'd love to make some with you."

"You sure I can't help you out around here?" he asked.

"Yeah. You go ahead! I'll be joining the girls for their Cinderella escapade soon, anyways. I'm sure they're going to be making their own tiaras and dresses later on." She giggled in knowing.

He chuckled. "Okay then." He said then walked over to the group of boys.

Fifteen title belts, a Cinderella movie, lunch and a nap later, the kids were getting their snacks and sitting in a circle in the middle of the room. Everyone got a juice box and some cookies to share. If there was one thing Raia strictly enforced, it was sharing. If you didn't share, you had to stand in a corner all by lonesome.

While Randy was helping the kids with their food, Raia took it upon herself to walk over to John and help him clean up the mess of papers and markers that the kids made during their title belt frenzy. "Hey… John, right?" she said with a smile.

"Yeah. You're RC?" he said and smiled in return.

"You got that right. Here, let me help you." She said and started clearing up the little shreds of paper in the area. "So… I heard you and Randy are best friends…"

"Amazingly, it's been so long and I still call the retard my best friend. He's really a great guy. I mean, sure, he can be a chump worse than a chimp but he's got some good in him…" he said jokingly.

"He seems that way." She replied. "He's a pretty funny guy and really good with kids, too."

"Since Trish had Hillary over there, he's been hooked. Every time a little kid walks up to him, he turns all soft. It's really funny. There was this one time; he was having an argument with a fellow superstar. Then, a little girl walked up to him for a picture. He went from a raging bull to a cuddly dog in a split second…" he said and they both laughed.

"I can imagine. He seems partial to little girls, actually. When I took my class to his signing and Hannah walked over to him, I didn't see the angry Randy at all! She actually told me she wanted him to be her hubby afterwards. I was literally laughing my head off!" she said and they both began laughing again.

"Hubby? Man. That's one for the books, for sure." He said. Suddenly, little Max popped up beside Raia and started tugging on her shirt.

"Miss RC, do you and Mister Cena wan' 'o sit wit' us? The girls are going all crazy about their Cinderella…" Max said and showed her the toothy smile she could never resist.

She nodded. "You go ahead with Mister Cena, okay? I'll follow in a while so that we can all say goodbye together." She replied with a smile.

He nodded and dragged John back to the circle with him. After a few more moments of clearing the disastrous mess of paper, Raia walked over to the circle of kids and joined in on the fun. She sat beside Randy while they were each saying something good about the movie. It was now Randy's turn.

"Well, I want to ask you kids. If Miss RC were Cinderella and I were Prince Charming… Would it be okay if Prince Charming took Cinderella out on a date tonight?" he asked, not seeing a furiously blushing Raia.

"YES!" they all replied, including John who happened to say it the loudest.

"…but o'ly if you 'ave her 'ome before midnight!" Hillary said, using the best fairy godmother voice she could muster up.

"I will. I will." Randy said with a huge smile on his face.

Suddenly, the parents came walking into the room and were ready to pick up their kids. Raia stood up as quickly as she sat down and said, "Okay, kids! Mommy and Daddy are here! Come on. Come get your coats and lunchboxes so you can all go home. I'll see you all next time!"

"Bye, Miss RC!" The kids chorused as they stood up to get their things. The little girls crowded around Hillary and promised to share stories the next time they see each other. Surely, they had found a new friend in her despite the fact that she was about a year or two younger than they were.

The boys attempted to give man-hugs to John and Randy and asked them to come back soon. Apparently, they had the best day ever! That sounded like music to the teacher's ears. One by one, the little voices faded away as they all walked out of the school chirping at their parents about meeting their favorite superstars.

Once all the kids were gone and Hillary had soon fallen asleep on John's lap, Randy and Raia were clearing the rest of the snack time mess. "I've been blackmailed." She said jokingly as she threw the last carton away.

"Hey, the kids said yes." Randy replied then pointed to John, "…including that big kid over there."

"You fed them something while I was gone, didn't you?" she amusingly teased him.

"Just some hallucinogens." He said and was met by a killer death glare from Raia. "I'm kidding! But hey, if you don't want to go through with it, it's okay. I know you're really busy and all…"

She smiled. "My doorstep. Seven o'clock. Please make it casual." She said and chuckled.

He beamed and replied, "Thank you. Hey, John and I better get this little girl home. She seems really tired. I'll see you later!"

"See you! Thanks a lot for coming today." She replied and smiled. She said the same thing to John when he passed by to head out. John had handed Hillary over to Randy to put her in the car.

"Thanks for having us. It was really fun. Hope we can do this again next time! Take care, okay?" John said and gave Raia a little hug. "Bye."

Raia's House.  
6:41 PM.

She was almost finished getting ready when the doorbell rang. Barefoot, she bounced quickly down the carpeted staircase and ran to open the front door with a "Hey!"

"Hey there!" Randy replied, half-stunned at how she looked. She actually looked kind of under made-up and rather crazy; but nonetheless, she still looked beautiful with her smile still plastered on her face. It never seemed to disappear from both her face and his mind. Infectious, that's what it was.

"Come on in for a while! I have to finish getting ready. You're pretty early…" she giggled and gave him room to step inside before closing the door. "I'm so sorry you had to see me like this. I'm used to people coming late when I'm meeting them…"

"Well, I didn't want to screw up the first date." He smiled and made her blush. "It's okay, though, I understand. I was just afraid that I'd be really late, that's all."

"Randy, you live next door. How can you possibly be late?" she said and chuckled as they walked into the living room.

He shrugged. "It's possible, you know!" he said and smiled. "Oh! These are for you…" he remembered and produced three daisies from behind his back.

She laughed, received the flowers and said, "Are daisies yours or my favorite flower? It's the same kind you gave me the first time around."

"Well, I happen to think you're like a daisy." He smirked. The Orton charm was officially on now. "Gentle and sweet, and always smiles even if it's raining…"

She blushed and let out that smile he could never get out of his head. "Oh shush. Have a seat first. I'll go finish up; then, we can go, okay?" she said.

"Alright. But for the record, you already look beautiful." He charmed. She simply smiled and headed up the stairs to finish gussying up for their night out.

Randy walked around the living room and saw that she was a simple girl. She liked girly things, for sure. As he passed by the fireplace, he noticed a picture on the mantle. It happened to be the only one there. No other pictures of family or even a dog. He picked it up, careful not to drop the hand-designed frame it was in, and scanned the contents.

There was a guy in a business suit who had this executive legal look with Raia who was wrapped in his arms. They were sitting on the grass and she was smiling straight at the camera while he was looking at her. It made him wonder if he were her boyfriend or perhaps a husband he never told her about. Still, she seemed pretty innocent and the guy was nowhere in sight. An old friend or uncle, maybe? The picture looked like it.

Setting it back down on the mantle, he continued to look around the place. It was smaller than his, most definitely. It was also pretty neatly kept and homey. With her amount of work, the most she probably did around here was sleep and watch late night shows in her living room. His eyes ran around the place as though he were trying to memorize every single inch of it.

"Find it nice?" her voice resonated through the room as she made her presence known.

He looked behind him and found her sporting a pair of jeans and a nice white blouse with some flats on. Has he mentioned that she was about a foot shorter than he was? He said, "Yeah. It's pretty nice. I like how clean and homey it looks compared to mine."

"How does yours look?" she asked, taking a few steps closer.

"It looks… empty? I'm not there often and it would be a waste to keep food stored. The furniture and appliances only get used when I'm home and that's a once in a blue moon adventure." He explained.

"Oh, I see. I don't get to spend much time in here, too. But when I do, I enjoy it. Some of the kids come over. Their parents have business trips, so they leave their kids in my care while they're gone." She explained.

"Well, I hope you'll enjoy what I have planned for us tonight just like when the kids are here. Shall we go?" he asked.

"Let's go!" she said rather bubbly.

They both stepped out of the house and rode in Randy's suave state-of-the-art Hummer H2. She hadn't noticed how perfectly sculpted his car had been until now. It wasn't your normal family car. It had pimped out stereo systems and a DVD player to boot. While driving across the streets of St. Louis, they blasted Ice Nine Kills songs.

"So, where are we going?" she asked after singing a small part of the rock song as she looked outside the car to find some clue as to their destination.

"It's a place called Randy's Best Kept Secret." He said and smirked. "It's a surprise so stop asking about it."

"Aw, come on! Tell me tell me!" she said and pretty much amused him by acting like one of her students back at SFK.

"I don't have to!" he said. "We're already here."

She looked outside her window and realized that they had stopped on a cliff not far from the city. It was quiet and serene and you could see some city lights in the distance. She looked to her door and saw that Randy had been the gentleman and opened it for her.

"Randy, this place is beautiful!" she said in awe as she stepped towards the edge.

He walked close behind her with his hands stuffed in his pockets and said, "Look down. It gets better."

She did as she was told and saw one of those old drive-in movie places. There was a giant screen propped up on steel stilts and a movie projector positioned at the very back of the area. There were cars with couples inside talking and waiting for the motion picture to start rolling. "I never knew this place existed…" she said.

He shoved his hands deeper into his front pockets and explained, "As a teenager, whenever I'd runaway from home 'cause my parents were having a fit, I'd come here and watch movies. They showed almost everything and since this was my special place, I enjoyed the privacy. No one bothered me here."

She smiled at him, "It's a really beautiful place. I guess you must have brought a lot of dates here, huh?"

"Surprisingly, no." he said. "You're the first."

She chuckled, curtsied and said, "Well, it's an honor being the first. So, what are we watching tonight?"

"Just Like Heaven. It's a chick flick, I know, but it was a nice movie to laugh at and I thought you'd enjoy so—" he had begun to ramble on and on when she cut it and said, "It's okay. I liked that movie when I first saw it."

"Great! Oh, and speaking of my parents, my mother called up earlier. I kind of spilled about our little date tonight and I said I was going to take you on a little picnic. She said she didn't trust my cooking so she sent over some food." He said and laughed. "I have to admit, she cooks better!"

She laughed along. "Thank God for your mother who saved my skin." She joked.

"Hey! I make a mean macaroni and cheese, you know?" he retorted as he begun to take things out from the back of the car.

She helped him out with setting up the blanket as she said, "That excludes the kind from the box that says: Heat before eating, right?"

"Uuh…" he smiled goofily and chuckled.

She laughed her heart out and sat down on the blanket. "Come on, let's just enjoy the night." She said.

_What a beautiful mess this is.  
It's like taking a guess when the only answer is yes._

He sat down beside her and opened up the brown basket he had brought with him. He took out some grilled chicken fillets with homemade tartar sauce, some fresh garden salad, pasta with white sauce and Mrs. Orton's special triple fudge brownies.

"That looks so good. I bet your mom's a really great cook." She said in awe. Everything looked delicious. It was like a connoisseur's paradise.

"My dad, my brother and I never seem to get enough of Mom and Becky's homemade family favorites! No wonder we all grew so big. All they ever did was feed us!" he said with a laugh as he handed her a plate full of food. "My dad used to annoy me for eating too much."

She pat his head and said, "Don't worry, Randy, you're a growing boy."

He put on a poker face and said, "Very funny, young lady."

Together they ate the food Mrs. Orton prepared for them while waiting for the night's flick to play on the big screen. Raia almost pleaded Randy to let her eat dessert first. It looked so good. "Oh please oh please oh please, Randy…" she said. "Studies say that eating dessert before the main course is actually an effective way of losing weight."

"Not until you eat your vegetables." He replied with a little smirk to boot. "And that's only effective when it's fruit dessert."

She glared at him. "Oh, mother, you kill me." She playfully said.

Midway through their chicken and pasta, the movie began to roll. They faced the screen while sitting cross-legged on the picnic blanket. Randy had brought some pillows with him to make sure they were comfortable. With forks still delivering food into their mouths, they watched Just Like Heaven like the little kids watching Cinderella.

"That's just so impossible. Would you believe me if I died and told you I'm a ghost that just wants her house to be clean and probably back in her hands?" Raia said as she finally had a taste of the Orton brownie.

"Exactly! It's an impossible feat. If I were David, I'd have called Dr. Phil and let him check me. I'm seeing a ghost and I'm falling in love with her!" he laughed along as the part where David and Elizabeth were on the bed and trying to hold each other's hand.

"Wouldn't that be so awesome though? Love does come unexpectedly. Paranormal counts, too, I guess." She said.

"It's going to be really strange, but really a moment to live for. Those are some crazy producers, though. They keep dreaming." He said as they both chuckled along.

_Your style is quite selective but your mind is rather reckless  
I guess it just suggests that this is just what happiness is._

"So, you don't believe in love at third eye-sight?" she laughed at her own weirdness.

"Sometimes, I wish I did; wish it would happen to me. All those people that you lost? It would be nice to spend another few moments with them." He said with a knowing smile.

"Yeah. That would be the opportunity of the century!" she said and chuckled. "Do you ever wish you could turn back time and relive everything you had before? Before everything became too complicated?"

"I don't, really. Things happen for reasons. We don't understand the reasons most of the time, and it's going to be hard accepting things for the bulk of those times. Sometimes, all we need is faith…" he said, suddenly remembering Riz.

"Faith is such a deep word." She said.

"So is the sea, but there are still people trying to get to the bottom of it." He said and winked. She laughed heartily at his response and continued eating her lovable brownie.

"Tell me, Raia. Why is it that a girl like you, with an infectious smile and a voice that I can't get out of my head, is still single?" he asked with the pure Orton charm.

Raia stared at her brownie for a few seconds as though she were thinking of some sane answer to reply to that. She looked at him and replied, "Some guys just aren't the one. You'll lose them. They'll never come back. But they'll take a piece of you with them. It's the painful part of loving someone."

"What would you do if you were in that kind of pain?" he asked, realizing he did feel the same way, too.

"I'd fly off to somewhere beautiful with some friends I'm comfortable with. Like Hawaii! I heard that it was great there, but I've never seen it for myself. We'd just chill, have fun and be human beings! Hope that someone else would come along, without ruining your whole life for someone who didn't want to stick around." She replied, a bit bitter.

They were completely forgetting about the movie and were getting engrossed in their own private conversation.

She chuckled to herself and asked, "Why are we talking about such deep things today, Randy? Got something on your mind?"

"Yeah. I was wondering who your favorite cartoon character was." He joked to lighten up the mood of the moment.

"I'm partial to Taz." She said and laughed. "He's a wild nut but never fails to be sweet if he wants to be."

"If I were a wild nut but sweet if I wanted to be, would you be interested in a second date?" he charmed with that classic half-smirk.

"You're a nut, and that won't qualify for a second." She replied with her own wit.

"Even if I'm a very sexy nut?" he asked with a bigger smirk.

_Hey, what a beautiful mess this is.  
It's like picking up trash in dresses._

She laughed at his attempts. "Alright, you very sexy nut, I'll agree to a second date." She said.

"He shoots, he scores!" Randy screamed and did a small happy dance. "Uh-huh. Oh yeah. I got a second date. Oh yeah."

Raia laughed at his antics and threw a ball of tissue at him. "You're a dork, Randy. That I can tell you." She said jokingly.

"Oh, I'm a dork, huh?" he glared at her playfully. "Let's see if I'm still a dork after I do…"

"…What are you gonna do, huh?" she said and slowly backed away laughing.

"…THIS!" he screamed then attacked her with venomous tickles. Raia happened to be a very ticklish girl. A simple set of spirit fingers to the ribs and she laughs like a hyena gone loony.

"Take back the dork and I'll stop!" he said as he tortured her with tickles.

"Never! You're still… a… big… dork!" she refused to back down. After a few more moments of the laugh frenzy, he decided to stop. It was evident that she wasn't giving up anytime soon. He was definitely a dork.

She stuck her tongue out jokingly and said, "You're a dork. Dork. Dork. Dork."

He stuck his tongue out to her, too, and said, "You must have given your mother too many white hairs for her own good."

She poked his hair and said, "Oh, mother. You're being such a drama queen. I don't see any white hairs."

He smiled. "You would drive anyone nuts." He said and chuckled. He checked his watch and saw that it was already half past eleven. He had to bring Raia home already. After all, he did make a promise to a little kid back at the hotel.

"It's already eleven-thirty. Do you want to head back now? Prince Charming said he'd get Cinderella back before the clock strikes twelve and she turns into a humongous orange pumpkin." He said and laughed.

"Yeah, we better get back. C'mon. I'll help you fix up." She offered. They both fixed up their plates and folded up the picnic blanket. After packing everything back into the Hummer, they both stood outside the car and looked up to the sky.

"You know, stars look so simple in the night sky, but no one really knows how complex they are. You see that little rectangle there? Those four stars?" Raia said as she pointed to four small sparkling dots in the sky.

"Yeah, what about it?" he asked.

"That's Orion. The three stars that form a line in the middle make up Orion's belt." She said.

"You sure know your stars." He said as he glanced just a little too long at her.

She looked back, met his eyes with hers and said, "It isn't so hard when you feel that it means something."

She broke the gaze with a small smile and walked over to the driver's passenger side. She opened the door and stepped in, knowing that she left Randy processing what she had just said. He followed soon after and stepped into the driver's seat. He smiled at her and started the car.

He drove to his house and parked the car in his driveway. After shutting off the engine, he stepped out, opened her door and said, "I was hoping I'd get the chance to walk you home."

She smiled, "Afraid someone might attack me during the thirty second walk?"

"No. I just want to have another thirty seconds with you." He said and smiled.

"Clock starts now, then." She said and hopped out of the car. He shut the door and they walked side by side to her front door. The Missouri breeze was a bit chilly and there was some silence in the air. There was no one walking around at this time of the night and everyone else was sleeping in their comfy little beds at home.

"I… had a great time tonight, Randy. Thank you so much." She said as they passed by the small bushes dividing their properties.

"No. No. The pleasure is all mine, really. Thanks for being with me." He said and smiled at her.

They reached her door step and she turned to him. "Well, was it worth the thirty seconds?" she asked.

_We tore our dresses and stained our shirts.  
__But it's nice today, oh, the wait was so worth it._

"Best ones of my life." He said and smirked. "Here we are. You better go in before it gets really cold. I'll see you soon, young lady."

She laughed and replied, "Good night, mother."

It was the best ending to what could be the last first date the two ever had.

_Here we are. Here we are._

_

* * *

_

**Hello hello! It's been a few weeks. And I am back with an update. Ssh. I've secretly been giving massages to heavily menopausal pandas. OKAY WHATEVER. Haha! Well, here's the little spice that I tried to put into it. I hope it works (secretly praying it does)**

**sweetcandyfun - **I thought people liked fluffy things. Haha! Oh and please try to imagine that the elevator is predesigned by wonderfully awesome engineers to not disconnect calls. And yes, Randy and John are turning marvelously gay on you.  
**Jun6293 - **An adorale chapter never fails to entertain, don't you agree? I think the kids help their relationship progress. It's probably common ground for both of them. Aw, sorry to hear about summer school. But hey, be thankful you still have two weeks.  
**hotpocketbandit - **Share your ideas! What are you thinking about Riz? I was actually thinking that she's pulling some sort of 'celebrity hides behind death to live normal life' thing. Kind of like the rumors about Elvis, but then that's just me. How about you?

**Thanks for your reviews! See you in the next chapter.**

**-_veracruzortongal_**


	7. 2 in the Morning

**Chapter Seven:  
****Two in the Morning  
****New Kids on the Block**

April 5, 2009.  
Wrestlemania 25.  
Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri.  
12:56 PM.

"Okay, Randy. We've gone through this twice. Just sign this contract and you will be set to lose the title to Dave tonight. You will be given twenty minutes for the match." Vince said as he placed a pile of papers in front of Randy. "The contract came a bit late. You and Adam were supposed to have a No Holds Barred tonight, but due to his injury, he is unable to compete."

Randy nodded and signed the contract sealing his fate for tonight. "When will Adam be back? What happens to our storyline then?" he inquired.

"Adam's out indefinitely. Your storyline will be cancelled. Since the Orton-Edge feud was a very strong one, we'll twist it quickly with the addition of Batista. Now, you two will be battling it out, but you won't be winning the title back anytime soon, son." Vince explained to the disheartened superstar.

Randy pursed his lips and nodded gently. Vince noticed the prodigy's disappointment and saw the moment fit to dismiss him. "Randy, you may go now. I'll see you later." He said in his gruff voice.

The younger man stood up and shook Vince's hand before leaving the office. He walked down the hallway from the chairman's office to the Men's Locker Room and ran into Paul Levesque carrying little Aurora in his arms.

"Unca 'andy!" Aurora squealed upon seeing her, similar to Hillary, favorite uncle.

"Rory!" Randy said and took the toddler from Paul's arms. He threw her up in the air as her little black HHH shirt exposed her tummy. "Now, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be home with mommy and Mishy?" he asked, referring to Steph and little sister, Murphy Claire. MC evolved to Missy and Aurora's lisp turned it into Mishy.

"Dada has a big game with Unca Show. I came to watch. And 'illary's 'ere, too!" she said as she played with her uncle's nose.

Randy turned to Paul and help out his hand for them to shake. "Hey, man. Good luck with your match. I heard Show's pumped up and running." He said, his voice a bit nasal from Aurora squishing his nose with her small hands.

"Luck to you, too. Dave's not really the animal anyone wants to mess with." Paul said with a chuckle.

"Unca Davey's an a-mee-nal?" Aurora said, almost getting lost at the idea of her big uncle being something like the little goats she met at the petting zoo.

"Uncle Davey's a huge hippo with purple skin and little blue toes." Randy said.

"Oh." Aurora said as her eyes went wide and her little mouth curved into an O-shape.

Paul laughed. "C'mon, pipsqueak, your Grampy's probably looking for you, already. He said he had a surprise for his Aurora." He said and took his daughter back from Randy. "Say bye-bye to Uncle Randy now."

"Bye, Unca 'andy." Aurora said and kissed Randy on the cheek. Father and daughter walked on to the chairman's office as Randy continued his walk to the locker room.

It wasn't long before he ran into another parent-daughter combination in the arena hallways. Trish and little Hillary were on their way to catering when they saw Randy walking all by lonesome. "Unca 'andy!" Hillary squealed and ran to her uncle's arms.

He crouched down and caught her in a tight hug. "Hey there, Ri-ri. How's this little princess doing?" he said and smiled.

"I'm okey-dokey! Momma an' I are gonna go eat san'wich at Caterin'. Wanna come wit' us?" Hillary replied and let out the toothy grin none of her aunts and uncles could turn down.

"Well, if it's okay with Mommy…" he replied and averted his eyes to Trish who nodded with a smile. "…I guess I'll be having sandwiches for lunch with you then!"

"Yay!" Hillary cheered. Then, she cupped her hands around her mouth and whispered into Randy's ear, "Ask Momma tuh' go get us ice cream."

Randy chuckled, "I'll see what I can do. But first you have to eat your sandwich, deal?"

"Deal!" she replied and locked pinkies with Randy.

"Come on, you two. I hear ham and cheese on wheat toast calling out to me already. Let's get to Catering before Dave finishes off all the good stuff." Trish said and laughed at the memory of The Animal finishing off all the sandwiches in Catering before anyone even got a crumb.

"Oh-kay!" Randy and Hillary said in chorus.

As they were making their way half-prancing to Catering, Randy was telling Hillary the same thing he told Aurora earlier. He was indoctrinating her on the fact that Dave was a huge purple hippo with blue toes. Hillary absorbed every single word her uncle was telling her and made a mental note to pat her Uncle Davey on the head when they see each other.

Trish got them each a Ham 'n' Cheese sandwich from the trays in catering. She grabbed two cans of Pepsi and a juice box from the drink stand, as well. Randy and Hillary were already sitting in one of the booths and were waiting for their lunch to come.

"Uncle 'andy, how was your date wit' Cinderella?" Hillary asked with gleaming eyes as Trish sat down beside her and eyed Randy. "Cinderella? Is there anything you're not telling me, Randy?" she asked.

He chuckled and replied, "Do you remember RC? The teacher slash lounge singer slash girl from the musical?"

"Yeah. What about her?" she asked as she cut Hillary's sandwich in half and placed it on her plate.

"Long story cut short: after I brought Hillary home from the playschool, I took her out on a date. The kids watched Cinderella that morning to they dubbed me as Prince Charming and her as Cinderella. So, there…" he explained then took a bite out of his sandwich. He had this goofy smile on his face which simply didn't match the half-chewed bread in his mouth.

"How di' i' gooooo?" Hillary pushed on and asked. Trish smiled at Randy's happiness.

"Well, it went so well that Cinderella said she'd go out with me again." He proclaimed and smiled. Little Hillary cheered on, almost spilling the contents of her juice box in the process.

They finished their sandwiches while Randy went into detail about the previous night with Trish. He told him everything that happened from the moment he picked her up a little too early at her house to the 30 second walk back to her front door. He couldn't help but feel a bit giddy.

Trish, on the other hand, could merely smile at the younger man. He was having the time of his life and he was rebuilding his heart. It felt good seeing him as happy as he was.

"Alright! Now that the sandwiches are gone, let's go get some ice cream!" Randy said as he swung Hillary on his back and jogged off to the ice cream stand at the far end of the room.

"RANDY! I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT ICE CREAM!" Trish screamed as she ran after them.

Randy's Hotel Room, Room 819.  
11:48 PM.

Randy's frustration over having to lose the title to Dave tonight was not treating him well. He had put on a sour face from the moment he had been escorted from the ring to the second he closed his hotel room door. Hitching a ride back to the hotel with John was the smartest move he had done all day. Even if John was a chatterbox at heart, he understood how Randy felt and kept quiet.

Hoping he'd be able to find a listening ear, he grabbed his phone and dialed Raia's number. While it was ringing, he flopped down on the couch and silently prayed she would pick up.

"Hey there." She picked up. "I saw the show on PPV. I kind of thought you would call. How are you?"

"I've been better. Losing the title isn't the best feeling in the world. Vince said I wouldn't be able to hold onto some gold for quite sometime. This sucks." He replied bitterly and pursed his lips.

"It's not that bad, Randy. I'm sure there are silver linings to the situation." She said. Suddenly, there was a little cry in the background. "That's Tyler probably having a nightmare. Would you like me to call you later on or do you want to wait a few while I ask him what's wrong?"

"I'll wait. It's okay." He replied.

He could hear her going into the room and asking the little boy what was wrong. Tyler audibly hung onto Raia and complained about monsters under his bed. Randy remembered himself having the same fright back in the day. Then, you could hear Raia whispering little words of comfort and putting Tyler back in bed.

_Hush, little baby, don't say a word…_

He heard her sing a lullaby for the little boy. It reminded him of his own mom. Whenever he and his sister had a hard time sleeping, they'd run to their parents' room and she'd sing them to sleep. When their little brother stepped in, though, he and his sister had outgrown the lullaby.

Now, he remembered how it felt being sung to sleep. He felt sleepy just listening to her sing through the phone, but struggled to stay awake. He really wanted to talk to her. She seemed to make him feel better after a rough show.

…_So, hush, little baby, don't you cry. Daddy loves you and so do I._

He heard her pick up the phone from the nightstand after hearing her kiss little Tyler goodnight. She shuffled out of the room and brought the phone back to her ear. "Still there?" she asked.

"Half-asleep, but I'll live." He joked and smiled, breaking his sour face reverie.

She chuckled and replied, "Little boys, insomnia and monsters under the bed."

"What's the little tyke doing there at your place, anyways? It was weird hearing you sing 'Daddy loves you and so do I' to him. It was like you were the mommy." He said and laughed. "You're getting old."

"Ha. Ha. His parents went to Maui for a business trip and couldn't bring him along. There was something about the company not wanting any kids on the trip. So, they left him with me for today. He'll be off to his grandma's tomorrow after school, though." She explained.

"I should get my folks to go on a second honeymoon and leave me with you." He flirted.

"Not working, Randy. Not working." She said with a smirk.

"I'm without title now anyways so I might as well grab a case of beer and while the night away." He said, his mood instantly shifting back to his sour state.

She sighed, "Look at it this way. If you're not the champion, you have more free time to do the things you didn't get to do. You could train more and be ready to get that title when you do get the chance, and, in broadway lingo, all the more you can be ready for the next big revival."

He laughed at the metaphor. "You know, you have a strange way of making me laugh when I don't want to. It kills me sometimes." He admitted.

"Don't go dying on me, though. Then I wouldn't have anyone else to kill." She joked.

"Hey, speaking of killing, are you free tomorrow?" he asked.

"Why, are we going to go rob a bank and kill someone? Mafia!" she said, getting a bit high.

"You're crazy. Did you know that?" he said and laughed at her reaction.

"Yeah, actually I do." She laughed. "So, what's up tomorrow?"

"I never got to watch Step Up 2: The Streets when it came out. Maybe if you had a few hours free on your watch, I could drop by your place with a DVD in tow." He asked with a little less stutter now.

"That's awesome! I've been dying to watch that, too!" she said, bringing a smile to Randy's face. "I have 2 PM to 6 PM free. I'll be coming from the playschool. 6 is rehearsal though."

"Great! I'll pick you up at the playschool at 2. I've got a houseshow afterwards, too, anyways." He said and smiled.

"Sure. Say, it's almost two in the morning. We'd better get some sleep. I have to be up in a few hours." She said politely. "I'll see you tomorrow, though, okay?"

"Tomorrow it is." He said and they bid their goodnights. Residing to their own beds, they fell asleep knowing that staying up this late was worth it.

_It's two in the morning, girl.  
What do you want to do?_

**So, this update took like too long to be posted and it's even a bit boring. It's been crazy around here, though, so update time is scarce. Final Touches will hopefully be updated soon. Thank you for your support!**

**SnowAngel2009 - **always keep that writing spirit alive! You never know when inspiration will hit you.  
**sweetcandyfun - **I'm sorry I haven't gotten so much time to actually write stuff. I think you know why? Please keep me away from MSG. Lola says it's bad. haha! Lola's girl. Thank you for the support!

**-_veracruzortongal_**

* * *


	8. Lovebug

**Chapter Eight:  
****Lovebug  
****The Jonas Brothers**

April 6, 2009.  
Skool For Kids.  
2:09 PM.

"Okay, kids!" Raia announced to the children. "Your mommies and daddies are here. Go put on your coats, get your lunchboxes and get ready to greet them with a hug."

All the little boys and girls shuffled to get their coats and lunchboxes. One by one, they disappeared through the door with big bright smiles on their faces after having a great time at school. Tyler was picked up by his grandmother, too. After they had all gone, Raia straightened up the place a little bit.

She then fixed herself up, retying her hair into the ponytail and reapplying a bit of makeup. She heard a car beep from outside and looked out the large window. She saw Randy, leaning on his Hummer, looking all suave and sophisticated with his sunglasses on. He smirked and motioned 'Let's go!'

She instantly grabbed her things and headed out the door. "I was beginning to wonder where you were." She said and smiled.

"I'm here and ready to watch someone step up." He said and laughed. He opened and closed the door for her before heading into the driver's seat and driving towards their street. "How were the kids today?" he asked.

"They were okay. Coloring was the highlight of the day. I swear, those kids have splashes of color for imaginations. Imagine a green pig and a neon pink tree." She said and laughed.

"Hillary does the same thing! She'd actually draw on one of John's pictures and turn him violet or something. It's hilarious." He said and laughed along.

"How's Hillary, by the way? Is she doing okay?" she asked. "The little girls miss her a lot."

"She's okay. Living the busy life of Barbie and Ken every single day." He said and laughed. "I'll ask her if she wants to come back anytime soon. I'm sure she'd want to, though."

They pulled up into her driveway and got out of the car. Randy got the DVD and some snacks from the backseat while Raia opened the front door. They stepped into the house and plopped on the couch.

"I see you brought popcorn." She said, noticing the large amount of popcorn he had lugged with him.

"Watching movies is never complete without the classic popcorn." He said.

She stood up, "I'll go get some soda. How about marshmallows?"

He nodded and popped the CD into the player. After a few, she came back into the room carrying a six-pack of Pepsi and a large bag of huge white marshmallows. "Are we ready to get this party going?" she said and laughed.

"Let's get this one on the road!" he screamed as they both sat back on the couch and cheered. The movie began to roll and the music began to fill the room. Suddenly, there was no one else; just the couch, the popcorn, the movie and the two.

There was cheering and laughing, arguing about who was the better dancer, squealing about how hot Channing Tatum was, popcorn flying all over the place, corny jokes and marshmallow eating contests. Randy won by three marshmallows. He could stuff ten giant marshmallows in his mouth.

"I really don't get how they can dance like that. I would've hit my head on the ground a million times if I tried." Raia commented and laughed.

"I tried it once. John and I went to this show where there were professional hip-hop dancers. They tried teaching us how to do some simple steps." He shared. "I did quite well, but John was a comedy show on his own."

"To think he's the self-proclaimed Doctor of Thuganomics." She replied as they both laughed. "So, you've got some moves, eh?"

"I may have a thing or two." He replied and smirked. He took her hand and pulled her up, "Come on. I'll show you."

She chuckled and stood up with him. He let the credits of the movie roll. The background music was a good song to dance to. He stood facing her and started to move as though he were in the club and on the dance floor.

Raia laughed hard. "Dancing is not your forte, I'm guessing?" she said and laughed.

"Let's see what you've got, miss dancing-is-not-your-forte." He retaliated and smirked.

In an instant, the two of them were dancing to the credits background song and laughing their hearts out at each others' inability to dance properly. "Okay, let's call it a truce. We both suck." She said and chuckled.

"Truce." He smirked and held out his hand for her to shake. They shook hands and stuck their tongues out at each other.

He noticed his watch and saw the hands telling her it was already five-thirty. "It's five-thirty. I'm gonna be late for practice if I don't leave now!" she started saying as she quickly cleaned up the living room.

Randy pitched in and helped her clean up. He fixed the DVD and shut off the television. He even offered to drive her to the theatre so that she wouldn't be late.

In a jiffy, they were able to fix up and get to the car. He dropped her off at the local theatre before heading off to the arena for their house show. He was planning on what he was going to do that night. He heard from John that Vince was considering putting them in a storyline together. It was always unpredictable with the Creative Team.

RAW Live.  
Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri.  
10:23 PM.

"_That's it, King! Orton just brought Batista down!" JR screamed as the main even peaked at an all-time high. Randy had challenged Batista to a rematch, but Vince told the GM to make it a non-title match._

"_Here we go! The RKO!" JR screamed again. Randy did his finisher on The Animal and pinned him for the win. He was frustrated that he won't be able to get the championship, but at least he showed that world that he wouldn't go down without a fight._

"_The winner… RANDY ORTON." Lillian announced on her mic as the referee raised Randy's hand._

It was a great night for the Legend Killer. He was able to prove himself while keeping within the ten-minute time limit offered by the GM. He walked up the ramp and backstage with a huge grin on his face. Walking past the curtain, he noticed it was quiet. He silently missed how Riz would congratulate him after a match.

A camera fluttering around him soon told him that he had a promo going on right now. He put his game face on, but it was wiped off as soon as he heard a little voice scream, "Unca 'andy!"

He turned around and caught sight of Hillary running towards him. Behind her, Trish and John tried to catch up. Even if Trish wasn't a diva anymore, the fans loved it whenever she was shown in a promo or such.

He caught the little girl in his arms and tossed her up in the air. "Hey, Ri-ri!" he said and brought her down for an Eskimo Kiss. The crowd 'aww-ed' at the move of affection.

"Cena. Trish." He acknowledged the other two who smiled back.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here." Said Triple H who stepped into the scene with a huge smirk. "If it isn't Goldilocks and the Three Bears."

"Goldilocks…" he pointed to Trish.

"Baby Bear…" he pointed to Hillary who pouted.

"Papa Bear…" he pointed to John who was staring daggers through him.

"…and Mama Bear." He finished off with an insult to Randy. "Well, aren't you a happy little family." He smirked.

"You better watch where your mouth is going." Randy said while giving him the evil eye.

"You better watch where you're going…" Triple H answered as he stepped closer and gave Randy an eye-over. "…Punk."

The cameras went off and the cameraman left the scene. There was some silence before Hillary's voice cut through, "Unca Paw is a meanie. You scare Unca' 'andy."

The three adults laughed. Paul took Hillary in his arms and explained to her, "You see, Hillary, Uncle Randy and I play mean people on TV. Remember those bad guys you watch with Aurora during Sunday mornings?"

"Yeah…" she replied.

"Well, Uncle Randy and I don't play bad guys like those. You see, we just play bad guys for fun. So, little Hillary shouldn't be scared or mad, okay?" he said in a gentle voice.

"O'ay, Unca Paw." She replied. She couldn't pronounce his name quite right yet so he had become a dog's foot for the meantime. It wasn't like it annoyed Paul one bit, but it did give everyone else a good laugh.

"Mr. Orton, your phone is ringing." Kiara, Randy's personal assistant, said as she handed him his phone.

He took it from her hand and smiled at the name on the screen. He flipped it open and said, "Hey, Raia." while sending a smile in John and Trish's direction. They smiled at each other upon sensing Randy's glee.

_Called her for the first time yesterday  
__Finally found the missing part of me_

The youngest superstar in the batch walked away with the phone against his ear as he listened to her say, "Hey, Randy! I just got out of the theatre. How was your match tonight?"

"It was great! I won! Dave actually got kind of pissed at me for convincing Rory and Ri-ri that he was a purple hippo with blue toes. He gave me a kick to the shin for that." He said and laughed.

She chuckled along and asked, "Rory is who, again?"

"Rory is Aurora, Paul's eldest daughter with Steph McMahon. She's a little girl with a big attitude. No question where that came from. I swear, though, that Steph is a sweetheart." He said and grinned.

"Paul must be about ready to slap you by now. What is it with you and little girls?" she asked.

"Just naturally good with them, I guess." He flaunted. "Say, where are you now?"

"I'm on my way to the hotel. I'm singing at the lounge tonight; running late, actually. Tonight's musical ran overtime thanks to the kids who didn't want to leave the theatre until they met the Enchanted Tree." She said and laughed.

"Great! I'm heading out with the boys for some drinks tonight. But I'll be back at the hotel at around midnight. What do you say I'll meet you there and I'll walk home with you?" he offered, hoping she would agree.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you at midnight, then! And please, don't turn me into a pumpkin." She joked.

He laughed, "I wouldn't plan on carrying a pumpkin home."

_Hopeless, head over heels in the moment  
__I never thought that I'd get hit by this lovebug again._

Sierra Lounge, Second Floor.  
11:54 PM.

Randy went to the lounge at an earlier time just so he could hear her sing, even just for a while. He sat at one of the tables farthest from the stage so she wouldn't be able to notice him.

She was singing various ballads and pop songs. It became hard to not look at her and be enticed by the music she was making. It made Randy feel strange, like as though he could die right now and be happy with it. The sudden thought of death, though, began to remind him of Riz.

Hillary would have loved to meet her. They would have been able to play around and jump in the snow, even when Trish told them it wasn't good to be out in the cold. Surely, John would have been in on that, too. He could also introduce Raia to her. It would have been great to see them be friends.

They were like polar opposites. Riz was the 'I'm strong but I have a heart that you can't see' type while Raia was the 'Let me show you how love is supposed to go' type. Riz preferred being one of the boys while Raia was the girl-next-door, both literally and figuratively.

He was imagining how it would be like. Riz would teach Raia how to ice skate and even how to wrestle, along with John and him, course. Raia would teach Riz how to bartend and do musicals. They'd both have fun with the little kids, too.

_I don't know where you've gone. Maybe you've gone to heaven or to some other field of flowers. Maybe you're still here and watching over us. Maybe you won't like Raia. But I've got to move on someday, Riz. _Randy said in his mind. He still wasn't completely over her at some point. He was scared it was going to stay like that forever.

"Another penny for your thoughts?" Raia said as she sat at the table at threw a peanut at Randy.

"Why do you love throwing things at me?" he asked with a laugh. "You throw everything from peanuts to tissue!"

"It happens to be a very effective way of getting someone's attention, regardless of whether they want to give it or not." She replied with a half smirk good enough to beat the Orton smirk.

"Baby, you got my attention from day one." He flirted.

"…And you're not getting any of mine if you keep calling me baby." She remarked and gave her own little smirk.

He threw his hands up in defense and chuckled, "Alright, alright. How about if I call you honey-pie?"

"All the more I'd ask Hillary to come and kill you for me." She said and laughed. "That's just the weirdest pet name ever to grace people's lips. I'd glare at anyone who dares to call me that."

He laughed along. "It's better than coochie-poo." He said.

_I can't get your smile out of my mind.  
__I can't get you out of my mind._

She nodded in agreement. "So, I'm all set and ready to hit the road. Let's go?" she asked, a bit excited to get home, or more specifically, just to walk with Randy.

He nodded and they stood up to leave the lounge. They exited through the lobby and stepped out to the cool midnight breeze. The roads were almost next to empty, except for some WWE groupies who were waiting for superstars to appear. Luckily, though, they weren't so big on Randy.

"You… sang really well at the lounge tonight." Randy said, trying to make small talk even though the silence was rather satisfying, with a smile.

"Thanks. I saw some of your friends. I think Jeff Hardy was there. He wasn't so hard to miss with his cool hair." She said and laughed. "Big Show was there, too! He's so big; I could spot him all the way from the stage."

"Hardy's hair has been one huge mystery to us all. Huge, I tell you!" he replied and laughed. "We can't seem to discover how many colors he has in there! Even if we do, we'd be stumped on how he made them fit."

"Adds a certain twinge of awesomeness to him, though." She replied. "I wonder how I would look with orange hair."

He laughed out loud and said, "Spare me! I just got the image of you in a pumpkin suit out of my head!"

She pursed her lips and punched him on the arm, "A pumpkin suit? Why couldn't it have been like a princess gown or a daisy?"

"Because! We were talking about the whole you'd turn into a pumpkin if I don't get you home by midnight scenario and it kind of just popped into my head!" he said and laughed. "It was a pretty interesting image though."

They joked around for most of the walk home. Mostly about John being a couch potato during his OVW Prototype days and Dave being a purple hippo. They talked about everything under the sun. It was like high school all over again. You'd walk the pretty girl home and you'd try to get to know each other.

When they walked past a creepy dark alley, there were stealthily dressed men with beady eyes staring at Raia. For any girl, it would have been an awkward moment. They started following the two slowly but noticeably.

Randy instinctively wrapped a protective arm around Raia and pulled her close to him. He quickened his pace a little and gently pulled her along with him, just so they could earn a bit of distance from the men.

She, on the other hand, snaked an arm around Randy's waist to pull herself closer. It would enable him to keep her within his reach if ever the men did anything scary.

He whispered, "I won't let you go."

She nodded and kept walking with him. Once the two were able to turn to their street, the men had vanished. He could feel her heart still pounding against his side as he pulled her a bit closer and walked her to her front door.

Once there, they untwined themselves and turned to face each other. "Thanks, Randy. I don't know what I'd have done if you weren't there." She said, a slight shake still evident in her voice. "It gets scary around here, you know?"

He gave her a smile and replied, "It does. No worries, though. I've got you."

She smiled and blushed. A mix of fear and crushing-on-Randy hormones raged through her. "You better get home. I'm sure you have a busy day tomorrow. I'll talk to you soon, okay?" she said.

"Before you go…" he stopped her. "…about that second date, John, Trish and I are heading to Hawaii this July. Maybe you'd like to come with us. Consider it my treat."

"I'm not so—"

"No." he cut her before she could say anything. "Don't decide now. But think about it."

He gave her a kiss on the cheek and smiled at her one last time for that night. She nodded and stepped into her house and waved at him. Once her door was locked, he walked back to his own house.

From his bedroom window, he looked around their area. There was an uncomfortable feeling somewhere inside him about those men who were following them earlier. He wasn't sure if they had really gone or if they had followed her and waited until she was alone.

She peeked through her window and saw him scanning the little hedge that divided their houses. She texted: _Go to sleep._

She shut off the light in her room and lay down on her bed. She said a silent bedtime prayer and asked God to guide her through the night. She fell asleep feeling some tugging at her heartstrings that told her she was safe tonight and that there was someone watching over her.

Little did she know that Randy, sitting on his window sill with the lights closed, stayed up the whole night just watching over her.

_Now, I'm speechless. Head over heels in the moment.  
__I never thought that I'd catch this lovebug again._

* * *

**Wow. This update took how long to be posted. Hope you guys are still reading out there! Don't forget to review.**

**No review replied today. Chapter 7 didn't get any reviews. Hohum.**

**- _veracruzortongal_**


	9. Someone Like You

**Chapter Nine:  
****Someone Like You  
****Cupid**

April 7, 2009.  
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.  
5:24 AM.

"Hey, Raia…" Randy said into the phone as he paced along the terminal. He couldn't check up on her when she woke up so he decided to leave her a voice message instead. "…I wanted to call you when you were up, but I've got to catch a flight to Boston in a few minutes…"

"…I just wanted to say thanks for the great week. I hope you had as much fun as I did." He said, unsure of whether he was beginning to sound like the stuttering dork again. "I don't want this to be just a one-week thing. I really want to get to know you more…"

"Uuh… And please tell the kids I told them to take care of themselves. I'll bring Hillary around again when we stop by there." He said. "…And about Hawaii, think about it, okay? Hillary was so excited when I let her know that I invited you to come along. Of course, she won't show it. She acts all motherly 'I-pick-who's-best-for-you' on me a lot."

He chuckled and continued, "…I'm really going to miss you. Take care of yourself, okay? Talk to you soon."

He flipped his phone shut and finally convinced himself that he was no longer the suave smooth-talking Lady Killer. He didn't want to leave St. Louis, as a matter of fact. He wanted to chill at home for a few more days and catch a later flight or even drive to Boston.

He looked around and caught sight of Trish trying to balance a sleeping Hillary and their carry-on bags. He walked over to them and offered to carry Hillary for her. Normally, guys would offer to take the bag but Randy and Trish knew that the little girl loved falling asleep in her uncle's arms. There was something about him being as soft as a pillow.

They entered the terminal and walked through the chute that led them to the plane. Randy turned to Trish and smiled, "You know what, Trish; this has been the best trip home ever…"

"I'm guessing it's because of Raia?" she replied with a knowing smile.

"Yeah." He said and nodded. "I don't know why, but I love being with her. Just like how much I used to love annoying Riz."

He chuckled and Trish smiled, "She reminds me of Riz, you know?"

He let out a sigh and said, "That becomes the hard part sometimes. I still have to think about whether I'm seeing the real thing or if I'm still in that stage where everything and everyone reminds me of Riz."

July 4, 2009.  
Hilton Hawaiian Village, Waikiki, Hawaii.  
4:59 PM.

"It seems like a quiet fourth of July around here. I guess it's true that Hawaiians live peaceful lives…" Randy said as he walked on the sand while feeling the late afternoon breeze.

Raia nodded and took a deep breath. The view of the horizon was breathtaking. The sun was slowly beginning to set as she and Randy were walking along the beach. A few steps away from them, Hillary was playing in the water with her Uncle John.

They had gotten there the night before. She had agreed to come after having a huge argument with Randy about her wanting to pay her way. She insisted, but he demanded that he would pay for everything. It was one of their conversations on the phone that let to laughing about them fighting over shallow things.

He'd call her almost everyday. He'd leave her messages when he wasn't able to call her at a good time. It never mattered wherever he was or how high his phone bill was getting. To him, he just wanted to hear her voice and her laugh.

"Where's Trish?" she asked.

"She and Ron are back in the hotel. They're leaving Hillary with the three of us 'til tomorrow morning." He said and smiled. The wedded couple did need some time off and wanted to recreate their honeymoon. "I reminded them, though, that it wasn't time for another Hillary yet."

Raia laughed. "It wouldn't hurt. Maybe the next little tyke could be Uncle John's favorite this time." She replied with a chuckle.

"Who's gonna be Uncle John's favorite?" John said as he jogged up to them with Hillary bouncing on his back.

"We were just saying how Hillary might have a little brother or sister who may choose you as his favorite." She explained.

"Unca Jay is mine!" Hillary screamed selfishly as she wrapped her arms around John's neck tighter. "No stealin'!"

John chuckled, "Let's hope the two lovebirds up there don't work so fast. Say, I've got to give this chickie a bath before dinnertime."

"Sure. We'll be heading up soon. I can take over from there. Maybe you'd like to chill at the bars tonight." Randy suggested and chuckled, knowing that his friend was the craziest drinker around.

"I was kind of hoping, if it's alright, that Little Miss Raia over here would like to join me for dinner out." He asked and smiled. "You know, as friends."

Randy felt a little pang of jealousy surge through him, but he shook it off. He knew John knew that he liked Raia and that he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that. He looked at her and saw her smiling at John, "I'd love to! But… Is it okay with you, Randy?"

Randy smiled and said, "Sure. Just be home before midnight or else."

"Yay!" she cheered and chuckled. "We can head out at around six-thirty, okay?"

"No problem." John said and smiled. "Well, this little trooper and I are going to head up. Bath time!"

John began prancing up and down and sending little Hillary bouncing on his back with glee. Surely, he was the master playmate of the season. He'd do absolutely anything just to be able to play around with kids. That made Raia smile.

"He's a nut, you know? You're lucky to have a crazy guy as your best friend." She said and laughed.

Randy chuckled softly and said, "Yeah. I am. He's crazy but he knocks my head back into the right position a lot. He'd give any psych a run for his money."

They continued walking on the beach and watching the sun set. Raia had slipped off her flip-flops and buried her feet in the sand. "It's been way too long since I've been to the beach." She said and giggled at the tickly feeling of the sand in between her toes.

He simply smiled and watched her marvel at the beauty of the beach and play around. These were the classic things you won't be able to find anywhere in the city. Just watching her be happy was enough to make it worth the amount he had spent. She was a playful one. He began to understand why she had chosen to work at the playschool.

"After you and John head out later…" he started. "…M-maybe we could, you know, have another walk on the beach? I heard that it's great around here when it's night time."

She looked at him and saw him staring down at the sand. She turned around to face him, placed her hands on her hips, chuckled and said, "You had every intention of asking me out tonight, didn't you?"

He pursed his lips and started swaying around like a little kid would. "Yeah. Kind of." He replied.

She smiled and giggled. "As flattered as I am, John asked first. But yeah, I promise that when I get back to the hotel, we'll take that walk on the beach and it won't matter if I get home after midnight." She said.

"Really?" he said with a huge smile on his face.

She laughed so hard she almost fell over. "You look so goofy! It's like Christmas came early and you got a new toy car in your Christmas sock." She said.

He smirked and wrapped his arms around her waist. He whispered in her ear using his low, husky voice, "Santa left me something a little better than a toy car."

She giggled feverishly and felt a blush creep its way to her face, "An engine red fire truck?"

"No. A hot pumpkin." He whispered and smirked.

She giggled yet again. These flirting bouts between them had become an everyday thing. Randy would always start them and she would end up giggling and blushing. The physical contact between them had been there since the night he held her close when the men were following her. Both had to agree, it was like a chemical rush in their veins when they touched.

"As much as this hot pumpkin would like to keep this up, you sexy nut, I've got to go upstairs and clean up." She said.

"Oh, so you think I'm sexy?" he asked, completely ignoring her change of topic and making his voice lower and huskier.

She rolled her eyes. "You're a nut. That's what." She replied.

"I'm not letting you go until you tell me that I'm a very sexy nut." He said in a sing-song voice and held her tighter.

She didn't want to leave at that moment. Suddenly, there were little butterflies swirling in her insides and her spine was feeling chills that were never there before. She lowered her voice and whispered, "Then you're a very sexy nut."

He smirked. "Come on, little missy, I'll give you a piggy back ride back to the room!" he said and let go of her. Their little flirting bouts would always end with something child-like and kiddy.

She hopped onto his back and let him give her a piggy back ride. "You know, your piggy back rides are boring." She joked and faux yawned.

"Oh really?" he challenged and smirked. He started spinning around in circles and jumping up and down wildly. She laughed and squealed and she hung on for dear life. She screamed, "Still boring!"

He jumped around some more and even entered the hotel lobby while jumping recklessly. The people were beginning to stare, but the two didn't really care. Some people smiled at the two having fun and others complained of why she was getting a free piggy back ride with Randy Orton.

Once in the elevator, Randy stopped jumping. "Still boring, little missy?" he asked.

She giggled and wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. "Less boring, but still boring." She poked on.

He let out his low rumble of a laugh. "Fine. I'll get you next time, though." He said.

The elevator stopped at their floor and Randy jumped out. He ran down the hall to their room immediately stopped, almost sending them both flying, at the door. Still laughing loudly, they opened the door and entered their suite.

They had booked a three-bedroom suite for themselves. John, Randy and Raia each had a room while Ron and Trish had a separate suite of their own. Inside, Randy and Raia met the amused face of John who was rubbing Hillary dry with a terrycloth towel.

"Having a little too much fun, kids?" John said, pretending to be all fatherly.

"Unca 'andy!" Hillary squealed as she escaped from John and the towel and ran to her uncle.

He picked the naked kid up and said, "Whoa there, kiddo, we need to get some clothes onto you! Tonight, we're going to have dinner together! Would you like that?"

"Unca Jay asked Mi'th Ar-thee on a date. Do'th this mean you an' I are goin' on a date, too?" she said in the cutest voice imaginable. Her doe hazel eyes were sparkling hopefully.

The three adults laughed. Randy said, "Yes, baby, we're going on a date. You and Miss RC go get pretty and Uncle John and I will make ourselves handsome."

"You alweady han'some, Unca 'andy." She said.

"Why thank you, baby girl. You look pretty, too. But I want you to be extra pretty tonight, okay? Ri-ri and Unca Randy are going to have fun." he said.

"'kay!" she said and stepped down. She pulled Raia's hand and said, "Come on, Mi'th Ar-thee! We gotta get me pretty!"

Raia laughed and waved bye to the boys. She was dragged into her room by the little girl who then closed and locked the door behind them.

John looked at Randy and said, "Should I be scared that you've had too many dates with a two-year old girl?"

They laughed and bumped knuckles. "Nah, man. I'm sure she digs you, too." Randy replied before they headed to their rooms and prepared themselves quickly.

Fifteen minutes later, John stepped out of his room dressed up in a pair of khaki cargos, white muscle shirt and flip-flops. He had sprayed on some cologne and combed his hair properly.

A few minutes later, Randy stepped out of his own room dressed casually exquisite. He had a pair of khaki slacks on with a while polo with the sleeves rolled up and the first few buttons popped open. The footwear, flip-flops, made it look simple.

"Now, why do we look like we're twins?" John asked, chuckling at their similarity in color scheme.

"If we're twins, Pig, you must be one lucky man." Randy replied with a smirk.

Suddenly, the other door in the suite opened and Hillary stepped out. She had a white tube-cut sundress on with her white sandals. Her hair was down in the natural loose soft curls and she had a pretty little ribbon on as a headband.

"Do I look prett-i-er now, Unca 'andy?" she asked and pouted.

Randy smiled brightly and knelt down to her level. He opened his arms and said, "Come here and give me a hug. Ri-ri looks really pretty."

Little Hillary ran and jumped into her uncle's arms. She was soon smothered in tickles by John and Randy. Her soft curls were bouncing around her and blocked anyone else's vision of the other girl who soon came out of her room.

She cleared her throat just loud enough for them to hear and look in her direction. The moment they all did, the two men were stunned. She was wearing something similar to Hillary, only the design was just the top and not the dress. She matched it with a pair of khaki shorts and flip-flops.

"She de'ided she wan'ed to look 'ike me." Hillary whispered to her uncles who were subconsciously staring.

Her hair was down, a bit fluffed and straight, until her back. Her make-up was done flawlessly, but minimally. She smiled and the whole world just started to spin around for Randy.

John stepped forward and greeted her, "Hey."

She smiled and answered, "Hey yourself."

"You look absolutely gorgeous." He managed to get out.

"You clean up nicely yourself. Although, we all seem to be dressing according to some code here." She said and giggled.

He chuckled alongside, "I'm not complaining if this is how gorgeous my date is going to look tonight."

She smiled and blushed a bit. After some more pre-date conversation, she walked up to Randy and Hillary and said, "You two look cute together. Have a great night, okay?"

"We sure will! Right, Unca 'andy?" Hillary said and looked at her uncle. "Unca 'andy?"

Raia chuckled and managed to snap him out of his reverie. "Oh, uhm… Yeah. Ri-ri and I will have a great time!" he said.

"I'll be back maybe ten." She whispered to him. "Can't wait."

She gave the two one last smile before heading out with John. He was taking her to the Waikiki Starlight Luau they were having. It was a festive dinner and a fabulous showcase of true Hawaiian culture and tradition. After the Starlight Show, the two went on to dance with the other guests and immerse themselves in the culture. Hula-dancing was a necessity in this crowd.

Randy, on the other hand, took little Hillary to the nearest open-air restaurant and bought them both dinner. He had to admit, it was fun spending time with his niece, but he kept on thinking what John and Raia were up to. Were they having more fun that when he was with her? Did she like him? He didn't know what to make of the situation.

After having dinner with Hillary, Randy took her back to the hotel room for a nice round of cartoon-watching. At nine, the little princess had fallen asleep. He tucked her into bed after changing her clothes and went back to the living room to wait for the other two's return. All the while, he couldn't stop himself from fidgeting.

_Stay cool, Randy. They're just friends._

8th Floor Hallway, Outside their Suite.  
12:03 AM.

John and Raia were trying to make their way to the door without falling over from laughter.

"Did you see how that monkey just jumped from out of nowhere and attacked the fried pig? Everyone was screaming!" he said as they reminisced the happenings of tonight.

"I'm just glad that pig wasn't breathing long enough to have witnessed that." She replied and laughed alongside him. She'd had so much fun tonight, it wasn't even funny anymore. It became more like a high. Being with John made her feel like she had smoked some pot and gone loony legally.

Their laughter soon died down and they were faced with the truth: it was time to end their time together for today. He smiled and shoved his hands down his pockets, "Did you have a good time tonight? I sure did."

"I had a great time, John. Thank you so much. It was so awesome just being able to go through the luau experience. It must have cost you a fortune though." She said, worried that he may have overspent on her.

He shook his head, "Don't even think about the money. It was worth it."

She smiled and nodded, "Well, thanks again."

He felt that the moment was right and saw that her smile had begun to send nerve-wracking signals, some he wasn't quite familiar with, through his system. Unsure of what he was doing, he looked deeply into her hazel eyes, leaned in and kissed her.

She was too quick for him, though. She noticed what he was about to do and opted to turn her head so that his lips would crash land on her cheek instead. He had pulled away, realizing she had avoided his move and looked at her almost confused.

At that moment, she gave him a sweet smile and said, "Thanks again, friend."

Somewhere deep inside John, there was a strangling, almost choking feeling of friendship. Something like a rekindled love for someone you truly cared for, but never got to cherish. _Randy likes her, fool. Stop making any fucking moves. Stop it._

They both stepped into the suite and saw Randy sitting on the couch watching late-night talk shows on the television. John headed straight for his room while Raia plopped down beside Randy and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, Randy!" she said cheerfully.

"I'm guessing you had too much fun, you lost track of time?" he said a bit bitterly. "Since when did ten become midnight?"

She rolled her eyes playfully and turned his head to face her, "I said maybe ten. Just because it's midnight doesn't mean we can't go on that walk. Come on. I've waited all night for this."

She shut off the television, grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room.

"I'm not taking no for an answer, Randy." She said and gave him that infectious smile of hers. Right then and there, he couldn't resist. He just let her pull him wherever she wanted to go just like how he was letting her fall deeper into his life.

_I can't believe that I found someone like you._

_

* * *

_

**Ooh. Things are heating up. I wonder what happens in Hawaii? What do you think?  
I wonder if Trish ever had a kid, would she be like Hillary?**

**sweetcandyfun - **coochie poo! cheesy doesn't even begin to describe it! aww, thanks for remembering! even i sort of forgot it a bit. hey, sorry for the late updates on Chasing Hearts! i'll try to update within the week!

**Read and Review. Must. Thanks.**

**- veracruzortongal **


	10. Paper Walls

**Chapter Ten:  
****Paper Walls  
****Yellowcard**

July 5, 2009.  
Hilton Hawaiian Village, Waikiki, Hawaii.  
12:58 AM.

"I take it you had a lot of fun with John tonight." Randy said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. The sea breeze was blowing gently as the waves crashed nearby. The beach was empty.

"Yeah. He took me to a luau and we danced the hula with some of the natives and the other guests." She said with a smile painting its way onto her face. "John Cena would be the worst hula dancer in the history of mankind, believe me!"

He nodded and walked on. Desperate to hide his bitterness, he spoke, "I can't seem to imagine him with a coconut bra and a hula skirt around his waist. It must have been fun."

She shook her head and smiled at him, "Randy. Stop being so bitter about the date. It was just as friends."

"It's that obvious?"

She nodded. "Look, I didn't go on this walk with you to talk about how John and I spent our time together. Neither am I that interested in knowing how your date with Hillary went." She said as she pulled her hair away from her face and dropped it down her back.

"Then, why are you here? Why did you even say yes to coming with me to Hawaii?" he asked, his sentimental side breezing through the moment briefly.

"You just said it." She said simply as she bounced over a rock. "I came here with you. It's like going on an adventure to get to know this Randy I've been conversing with for the past few months."

"Haven't the times we've talked been enough for you to know me?" he asked.

"Those sometimes feel too superficial. I already know you wrestle. I already know how much you love Hillary and how cute she is when she's having a tantrum, that John is your best friend, that you love potato chips and you hate being on the road sometimes. You have a potty mouth for a best friend when you lose your matches and you like playing flirt with me." She said.

"So, what isn't the superficial kind of getting to know Randy Orton?" he asked.

"I sometimes want to ask beyond the things I could have found on your Wikipedia page. What's this story I always hear about a girl you hated to love? Or loved to hate?" She said. "Where is she, Randy? And why aren't you with her?"

He hung his head and tried to force the stinging feeling of tears away. She was blunt and frank when she asked questions, but there was a certain tinge of sweet that made him really try to open up.

"If I talk about her, it's gonna hurt like a bitch." He said, the depression airing.

"I've come to know that it hurts more when you don't let it out." She said and placed a hand on his arm. "You can trust me."

_Let's burn a hole so we can climb out.  
Of these paper walls and this empty house._

He sighed and realized she was right. It was useless keeping it bottled up inside. If he really liked Raia, he'd be open to her and try to ebb away the secrets between them. Slowly, he began to relate.

"Her name was Riz." He stated, not looking at Raia. "When she first entered the business, John took her in like a little sister and they became the best of friends. I would always annoy her and tease her about being a tomboy. She acted all gangster and wore clothes almost similar to John. We fought a lot. She'd call me gay. I'd defend myself.

We had unlikely incidents that brought us together. She offered to take care of me when I was injured. Though we hated each other, she made time because she was that nice. But I still became the arrogant ass everyone saw me as.

Days, even months, went by and I got to know her more. She became a friend even though we killed each other onscreen. She loved the snow and skating, though she never mentioned it to anyone. There'd be times she'd cry about life and she went to me just because she needed a friend. It felt good knowing that someone needed you and you didn't have to front all the time.

I didn't realize it, but I slowly fell for her, like she accidentally tripped into my life. There were so many times that I could have told her how I felt but something always got in the way. When I finally had the chance, everything takes a wrong turn and she ends up in the hospital and I end up with blood stains on my shirt.

Next thing I know, she's gone. All that's left with me is a bleeding heart on my sleeve and a song she wrote for me. It topped the charts, strangely. You sang it back in the lounge. Never? That's the song. I never got to say that I loved her and I don't think I'll ever get the chance to.

Her last request was that I kiss her. I did. It was the best feeling I had ever felt but it hurt. After that, I just shut down. When John told me that her parents pulled the plug, I realized that when you love someone, you tell them and make them happy. Lord knows when you're going to lose them."

_Here I am, still hold onto this dream we had.  
__Won't let go of it, hear me now, you will never be alone._

The two fell silent and stopped walking as Randy let a few tears fall. Instantly, though, he felt Raia encircle him in a hug. It wasn't the I-like-you kind of hug. More of the you-need-me-I'm-here kind. He gulped the lumped down his throat and stopped himself from crying. It did feel good when you let it out.

She pulled away and looked up at him. With the pad of her thumb, she wiped away the remnants of his shed tears. She gave him a soft smile and said, "We lose people the same way we lose ourselves in love. Someone picks you up and puts you back together, but sometimes you just want to be lost again."

He let out a chuckle and shook his head, "You have this odd way of making me laugh with butterflies in my insides and getting me lost with your philosophy that makes sense."

She laughed along and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Just keep in mind, Randy, that the right people for us come along eventually. You just have to be patient."

He nodded and smiled back at her, "Thanks."

They sat down on the sand and faced the waters. It was a cool night with a breeze you couldn't find anywhere else. The stars were out and twinkling and the moon was in its perfect place in the sky. The island was adrift with silence as they watched the night progress.

"So, what's your story, Raia?" he asked. "I'm sure your philosophical ability didn't come from books."

She chuckled at his comment and nodded, "It most certainly didn't."

"Hey, now." He said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You can trust me as well."

She nodded and began to spoke softly, as though the whispers would make everything better, "I've lost someone, too. His name was Jake."

Her eyes began to tear up in a way Randy had never seen before as she related her story.

"We met at the grocery store sometime last year. He was buying frosted cereals for his niece and nephews and I was doing the monthly groceries for myself. We bumped into each at the cornflake area and it just all began from there.

We shared a lot of things in common. We loved kids and liked going to beaches on weekend mornings. We would always watch a movie every second Saturday of the month and take my students on a field trip on the last Friday of the month. He was a junior associate at a law firm and I was a teacher. Everything was going right.

Come Christmas time, he proposed in the sweetest way imaginable. He got the kids to sing a nice song for me while he walked up and popped the question. It was the best Christmas I had ever experienced and I couldn't have been more thankful that he was in my life.

The politics of being a lawyer, though, was a dangerous thing. He got involved in this twisted case about gang wars coming from New York. It was close to the end. I didn't expect that when he told me on the morning of Valentine's Day this year that he loved me, it would be the last.

He was shot while heading out of Starbucks and to work. The guys mugged him first before driving a bullet through his temple. That night, I opened my doors to policemen who came to tell me that my fiancé was dead. I kept staring at the roses he gave me earlier that day. It was all happening too fast.

There was a familiar feeling of loss. I've lost a lot of people and I didn't need Jake to be one of them. I really miss him, Randy. I really do. They shouldn't have taken him away. It wasn't his fault." She said as she started to pound on Randy's chest.

_Don't listen too close. Their words are like guns.  
__With bullets that fly and kill what you've won._

He held her close to him and let her cry. Losing the ones they loved wasn't the easiest thing for them to go through. It felt like a relief having someone who understood how it felt and who went through almost the same things.

"You know, when I had a crush on the cutest girl back in kindergarten, I never though that falling in love would be this hard." He said and pursed his lips a bit.

She suddenly stopped pounding on his chest and started laughing hysterically, "Randy! I'm trying to be sentimental here! Stop making me laugh!"

He looked lost as he said, "I wasn't trying to!"

"You suck. You make me laugh even when I want to cry." She said and hit him on the arm.

He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He pulled her close and landed a kiss on her temple, "I know you miss him and it's not easy coping with that. But there are some things in life that we should love without them being there and some things we should love for being there."

"Now, look who's getting philosophical on the situation." She said as they both chuckled. "But yeah, you're right. Even if you don't necessarily remember anything but him, it helps to look around and try to remember your real life."

_So, let's make a toast and kiss them goodbye.  
__We'll kiss them all goodbye._

"I remember Trish showing me Hillary for the first time. She was the cutest little thing in the whole world. When we went to visit mom and dad, everyone went crazy over her!" he said.

"Tell me about your family." She said and smiled genuinely. "I already know your mom cooks the best food in the world."

"Well, there's dad. Big Bob was the one who pushed me into joining wrestling and fulfilling my childhood dream. He was the strictest disciplinarian I have ever met. Then, there's mom. She loved too cook and she'd sew anything and everything from morning 'til night." He said and started remembering the sweaters his mom made for him.

"Becky's my little sister. She's the smartest among us three and I had to chase the boys away with the lawn mower when she was in her teenage years. Nathan is the youngest among us. He joined this Mixed Martial Arts Federation and he's working his way up to the big dogs. Really proud of him." He said and gushed about his siblings.

"Wow. Suddenly, the Orton family sounds like the best place to grow up." She said and gave off a soft chuckle.

"Don't get me wrong, we've had our fights and even divorce threats, but we got through it and it was all good." He said and smiled. "How about you? How was your family?"

She looked down and said softly, "Oh, there's nothing really interesting."

"Come on. I want to hear. Surely, there were some crazy things about you guys." He said and softly prodded on.

She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye, "I don't know my family, Randy. How crazy does that sound?"

_Let's take what hurts and write it all down on these paper walls and this empty house.  
When our ink runs out, we'll burn it to the ground._

_

* * *

_

**Cliffhanger moments: oh, how I love them dearly.**

**What do you think so far? How's their little Hawaii trip going? It seems like the second, third, fourth and fifth date rolled into one, don't you agree? Plus, Randy's being a total kid -- jealous of John!**

**Let me know what you think! Review, people. Review.**

**sweetcandyfun - **well, what's a story without a little spice? Hence, John Felix Anthony Cena. I can hardly even remember a single thing I've planned for any other story. Thank goodness, I pre-wrote this last summer!  
**Cali(.)RKO(.)225 - **wow! I appreciate your review. I hope this chapter was up to par. Love triangle in the making, that's fer sure. Who are you leaning towards, though? Remember, Randy still has Riz.

**- veracruzortongal**


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